


Love in Progress

by Justarandomnamesoz



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Criminal Ricky Goldsworth, Detective C. C. Tinsley, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 20,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29154762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justarandomnamesoz/pseuds/Justarandomnamesoz
Summary: It's gonna have some Tinsworth!!! I wrote the story beginning a little bit after the two meet (this is when things pick up between them!)... the time setting is vague, just imagine sometime between 1920 and 1930, and that will probably do!None of the characters in this story are mine, they're from Buzzfeed Unsolved!(This is also on Wattpad under the same name!!!)
Relationships: Ricky Goldsworth & C.C. Tinsley
Kudos: 4





	1. Yours forever, Ricky

It was late at night and the tall cloaked figure fiddled with a set of keys as he unlocked his office door. CC Tinsley was a busy man- but that doesn't mean that he forgets to lock his door. He slotted the correct key in, hearing it click into place. The door swung open and he flicked the light on. 

"You're late", called the voice of a rather well dressed man sat atop Tinsley's desk- a small glass of Tinsley's whiskey in hand, poured from a decanter on the sideboard. 

"So I see you've made yourself at home" Tinsley responded, removing his hat and coat and hanging them on their respective hooks. 

"Where have you been all day Tinman?" continued the shorter man playfully, ignoring Tinsley's previous comment. 

"I was working a case", Tinsley sighed.  
"Yes but not my case", the man said, growing more impatient.   
"I'm allowed to take more than one case Ricky".

Ricky slammed the glass down onto the desk. "iM aLloWEd tO tAKe mOrE tHaN oNe cASe rIcKy!", he mocked viciously, "What does this case have that my case doesn't, _hmm_?!".  
Ricky slid off the desk. "Is it bodies? Because I can give you bodies". 

Ricky surged forwards, pressing himself closer to Tinsley, grabbing his tie and dragging him down.   
"Because... I can give you bodies" he breathed, his voice barely a whisper. 

After a second of intense prolonged eyecontact, Ricky recoiled with a sigh- straightening Tinsley's tie and smoothing out the lapels of his suit. 

"You see, Tinsley, I don't like sharing my things. Especially not with other criminals, they have no style- no moxy" Ricky explained. "So naturally when you run around behind my back, thinking I don't know where you are, I get a little bit hurt detective". Ricky paused momentarily, just long enough for Tinsley to assess their position. 

"Are you actually being serious right now? I'm not your _thing_ Goldsworth." Tinsley snapped.

"I'm always serious detective" Ricky responded, a smirk dancing across his features. 

"Just because your family's got money and mommy's got most of the town wrapped around her pinky finger-" a sharp sting stopped Tinsley dead in his tracks. Ricky had slapped the detective.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother like that." Ricky stated coldly.   
"Then don't talk to me like I'm your- your _honey_. Because I'm not."   
"Oh detective, we both know that's not true" Ricky said with a smile, leaning closer into the detective.

A dangerous man. Ricardo Goldsworth was a dangerous man, and Tinsley knew it- yet the butterflies he felt when Ricky smiled at him were undeniable. Ricky was a man of many talents, and being charming was certainly one of them. Ricky had _had_ lovers over the years, Tinsley had looked into them a bit, not that many had stuck around for long- despite being able to have any man or woman over his arm, nothing could ever seemingly satisfy Ricky's appetite.

Tinsley was told to stay away from the Goldsworths- that they'd squash him like a fly and move onto the next meddling Detective. He was told in particular to stay away from Ricardo Goldsworth. But curiosity got the better of him- it's natural for a detective. 

"Well I think we're done here Tin Tin" Ricky started, snapping Tinsley out of his thoughts. Ricky moved away from the taller man, towards the door. "You'll hear from me soon, _CC~_ " Ricky teased playfully, taking the Detective's hat from off it's hook, and putting it onto his own head. With a quiet click the door closed behind the ever elusive criminal that was, Ricardo Goldsworth. 

A pause passed.

"Did he just steal my hat?" Tinsley questioned aloud, although he already knew.

The next day, Tinsley arrived at the office to be greeted by a very excited Miss Holly Horsely.  
"Gee CC I don't know how you've pulled this one off!" She said from her seat behind the secretary's desk.

As he walked throughout the rest of the office, people continued to congratulate him, despite him still being unsure what he'd accomplished. After a small matter of investigation, Tinsley was quite surprised to find that the majority of the criminals that he had been investigating had handed themselves in.

Still pretty confused, Tinsley unlocked his office door. He was greeted to the sight of his hat on his desk, with a small slip of paper pinned underneath. Tentatively, he picked up the slip and read the note:

_'A little gift from me to you, I'll see you later baby! Yours forever, Ricky xxx'_


	2. Mamá he's not a threat

Ricky was feeling pretty pleased with himself- and everybody he passed on the street could see that. Ricky, after some.. ah.. questionable methods, had made sure the rest of Dectective CC Tinsley's cases were closed- making sure he had the detective all to himself. Ricky was planning to stick around to see the look on the tall Detective's face when he realised what Ricky had done, but he didn't want to be caught snooping around by Tinsley's receptionist friend. Ricky wasn't quite sure what to think of Miss Holly Horsely, he understood that the two were pretty close but he hoped for her sake that that was the extent of their relationship.

Ricky walked up the hill to the front gates of the Goldsworth estate. He would've taken his Rolls Royce, but he didn't want to draw much attention to himself- well, any more than normal. Being a Goldsworth, he was naturally perfect in every aspect: well-dressed, well-liked, a great conversation partner, fabulous hair, and the ability to charm just about anyone. He was greeted at the door by the Mayor, who was in fact, the family's Butler. He was practically family at this point, and had been with the family for quite some time.

"I take it you've had a pleasant day Master Ricardo?" the butler inquired, taking Ricky's coat from him.   
"Again Mayor, please just call me Ricky" he said with a smile. "And, yes, it's been incredibly productive- has my brother arrived from Chicago yet?"   
"Yes I do believe he has"  
"Good, I'll know to avoid him then" Ricky finished with a cheeky smile, and despite his quip, headed for his brother's room.

Ricky and Miguel had always been rather close as far as brothers go, but that always comes with the notion of major crime families. Miguel was a couple of years younger than Ricky, but had already moved out of the house, set up a 'business' in Chicago with his 'business' partner (insert mob and mobster where appropriate), and was significantly more stacked than him- which annoyed Ricky to no end. When Miguel moved out, Ricky had joked about turning his brother's old room into a cheap nightclub, which his mother shot down immediately, instead choosing to keep the room the same.

"Miguel! How's my bitch-ass baby brother doing!?" Ricky called as he swaggered into the room. "I see you've found your room again- and look we didn't even turn it into a nightclub!"   
"Oh hey Ricky, still only 5"9 I see" Miguel returned with a sly smile, as Miguel was in fact, 5"10.   
"I'm 5"9 and three quarters so you can shut the hell up" Ricky retorted.

"What do you want dork?" Miguel said with a sigh.  
"Can't I just come to say hi to my baby brother without a reason?".  
"Spit it out Ricky".  
"I guess I came to say...", he paused for a second, "Dios mío this is gonna physically hurt me to say, but, thank you for helping me with that thing. Some of those 'higher ups' weren't gonna hand themselves in just because I asked nicely." Ricky recounted with a sigh.

"Can I ask why you wanted those people behind bars?", Miguel started."They weren't exactly threatening any of our positions, and it wasn't to do with business- did you have something personal against them? Because I _have_ made this hard to trace back to us, but the possibility still stands- so I hope you know what you're doing Cabrón" Miguel finished with a smirk.

"I do know what I'm doing! And if anything _you_ are the Cabrón, movin' out the house with a tall strange man from Chicago-"  
"And I've heard that you've got your own share of tall strange men from Chicago, Ricky: a rather scraggly, gangly, badly dressed-"   
"Okay I think I get the picture-" Ricky interrupted.   
"Sheesh and I thought you had some taste in your fellas- if you can even call what you're goggling over a 'fella', he's more rat-like than anything."

Suddenly the room was graced with the presence of Lucy Goldsworth. "Miguel that's enough, stop teasing your brother" she said as she glided in.   
"Sorry Mamá" Miguel responded sheepishly.   
"And Ricky" she said shifting her attention.  
"Yes Mamá?"   
"I think we need to have a word in my office"   
"But Mamá it's-"  
"Ricardo."   
As head of the Goldsworth family, her word was final- and most people like her too much (or feared her too much) to argue against her. Lucy swiftly exited the room, Ricky trailing behind her.

"Ooooh she full named you" Miguel whispered into Ricky's ear as he walked past. Ricky quickly swatted at his brother before he felt a hand grab his arm and drag him along. Lucy was not about to take nonsense from anyone, and walked with the same purpose in her everyday life. Despite being only 5"3, she exuded an undeniable influence over everyone- her presence in a room never going unnoticed. They continued down the corridor, rounded a corner, and entered Lucy's office.

The office was reasonably sized, tastefully decorated (as most of the house was), and featured a large window looking out onto the town. Lucy eased herself into the chair at her desk and leant forward onto her hands.

"Mijo, I think we both knew that this conversation was going to happen eventually."   
"Yes Mamá" Ricky replied, staring down at his shoes.   
"I'm just worried for you, my job is to worry about you and your brother, and this man can't mean anything good Ricky, his intentions might not be all that honorable- he's a detective for crying out loud."

Ricky's head snapped up. "But he's- he's not like any of the other officers or detectives Mamá! I offered him money, I offered him cars, houses-", Ricky rattled on, "-but he just wouldn't accept anything! You should've seen how he talked to me Mamá- he didn't care about how much influence we had over the town, he just doesn't have any regard for his own safety- Mamá he's not a threat to us."

"Mijo, I'll say this once and once only. You either invite him over to dinner, or you cut him off and we'll never speak of him again. If you're so sure of this detective, that he's the one- then I would like him to be formally introduced to the family." Lucy concluded.

Ricky grinned in surprise, "I can't promise he'll say yes but I'll sure as hell ask! Thank you Mamá!"

"Just stay safe, that's all I ever ask Mijo".


	3. You need to shave

"Tinsley! Are you insane!? Holly Horsely's sharp voice rang throughout the empty office. "You'll be walking into the lions den! If you dine with Goldsworth you'll end up as lunch!", she hissed through her teeth.   
"You might as well be waltzing in and climbing into the oven" she finished taking a breath. Well, she was never one to mince words. 

Banjo McClintock, the town's chief of Police sighed and leaned over, "I'm with Horsely on this one, he's too dangerous for one man to take on alone" he agreed. 

Tinsley will admit he was very surprised when Ricky Goldsworth turned up on his doorstep with a bouquet of flowers ("To brighten up your apartment Tinman!"), and inviting him to dinner. Ricky was very vague about the reason why, which made Tinsley more curious than nervous. 

*Flashback to 7 hours earlier* 

"C'mon Tinman it's not that hard to say yes is it? We've been out to dinner before-but this time it'll be at my house instead! Look it'll be fun!" Ricky emphasised with a wide grin. 

"Sure it'll be fun", Tinsley said sarcastically, "To be stuck on an estate with no exits and a man that has a reputation for murder-"  
"Tinman"   
"Its gonna be just dandy isn't it-"   
"Tinsley!" Ricky snapped "You need to shut up and stop worrying! Sure don't come if you don't want to, but if you don't come I'll never speak to you again- no more walks in the park, or lunches out, or chatting on your sofa at 3 in the morning! So I suggest that in the best interest of both of us you just come along" Ricky revealed with a firm nod. 

"Can I have some time to think about it?" Tinsley asked quietly   
"Sure. I'll be around at 8 o'clock to either pick you up, or to say goodbye" Ricky replied with the same hushed tone. 

Ricky turned to leave but seemed to remember something. He walked up to the detective and cupped his face, leaned in a little closer and whispered,"You need to shave Tinman, I won't accept badly groomed visitors". Ricky removed his hand with a sly smirk and gave the detective a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and leaving. 

Tinsley stood there in his apartment unmoving in shock for several minutes. "Had Ricky Goldsworth just kissed him?!" He thought "And had he just enjoyed it?!". The detective sighed and moved to continue making his lunch, as he had been before Ricky had arrived. But sure enough, Tinsley couldn't get Ricky off of his mind- he could even still smell Ricky's expensive cologne. 

*Flashback to present time, 8 o'clock* 

Detective Tinsley was not usually the nervous type- despite that he was flapping around his apartment in a state of panic. To be honest, Tinsley wasn't sure why he was so nervous- it was just a dinner! Ricky was due any minute now and Tinsley was very jittery. 

The doorbell rung sharply. "Speak of the devil" Tinsley muttered under his breath. Tinsley strode up to the door and swung it open.   
"So" Ricky started awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.  
"So.. uh yeah" Tinsley repeated   
"Are you coming with me then?" Ricky asked nervously   
"Uh.. yeah... I am"   
"Oh cool" Ricky paused "My car's round the side if you want to..." he gestured for Tinsley to go ahead. 

Tinsley clambered into the passenger side of Ricky's Rolls Royce, barely cramming his legs in. He did a little observation of the inside of the car and found there was very little clutter inside: a paper coffee cup from the local cafe, a pair of sunglasses, and a comb. Tinsley also noticed that the car smelt of Ricky- he realised that was a bit of a creepy thing to think, but he liked it. He smelt of orange, spice and sandalwood. 

Ricky snickered "You struggling to fit your long-ass legs in, Detective?" he started the car and pulled out of Tinsley's road. 

"I'll be just fine thanks, Goldsworth"   
"Now detective, I've lead my family to think we're pretty close, so just call me Ricky for now, and please loosen up a bit- my mother can smell fear".  
"Sorry what?" Tinsley asked coolly, his heart rate accelerating.   
"Oops did I forget to mention- we won't be dining alone detective! My family is very interested in meeting you, sure I wasn't on board with it at all at first, but now I think it'd be fun". 

A pause passed. "You tricked me" Tinsley said quietly.   
"Oh I wouldn't say tricked, just... misdirected- don't look so upset Tinman"   
"I'm not upset"  
"Yes you are! You're lookin' at me as if I've just kicked a puppy! Dios mío don't make this harder than it has to be." Ricky said driving down the darkened lane, drawing closer to the estate. 

The silence in the car began to tear into Tinsley's nerves- he had nothing to say to Ricky, especially knowing that Ricky had broken his trust. Suddenly the house came into view atop a hill.   
"Hey, so you should probably know that my family can be a little bit... excitable" Ricky explained.   
"Oh great to know thanks" Tinsley replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.   
"Oh so he does speak now".  
"Shut up".

They drove through the open gate and pulled up onto the long drive. The car slowed to a steady stop- Tinsley went to open his door, only to find that Ricky had beaten him to it. Ricky was holding out an expectant hand, and tentatively, Tinsley took the hand and let himself be helped out of the car. 


	4. Él es un captura

Tinsley noticed that he had _at least_ one file on everyone in the room- maybe two or three on Ricky but that's beside the point. However, anything he had against the family was circumstantial evidence, so wouldn't hold up in a court of law (whoever was covering up for the family was doing a good job).

The next thing he noticed was Miguel Goldsworth (better known as the infamous Chicago mobster, Night Night) staring him down from across the table with a cold glint in his eye and a clear grip on the knife in his hand.

Cutting through the tension in the air, Lucy Goldsworth piped up "So Mr Tinsley, what was it you said you do for a job?". Tinsley assumed that everyone around the table already knew _exactly_ who he was.  
"I'm a detective, but I'm also a PI on the side" he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh how interesting, do you have any current cases?" Ricky queried with mock innocence, knowing full well the only case open was his own. Ricky knew what he was doing was a bit cruel, but he needed to make sure the detective could handle his family!   
"Oh uh not really-" Tinsley started   
"Do go on- tell us!" Miguel interrupted

Lucy laughed from her end of the table, "Boys that's enough stop pestering the poor detective! Plus I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with us"   
Ricky gave Tinsley a coy smile and batted his eyelashes at the detective, who simply turned away to answer Lucy.  
"No Ms Goldsworth I can assure you your family has nothing to do with my open case"

At that comment Miguel turned to Ricky and said "él es un captura"- not that Tinsley understood Spanish, which he assumed was the point. But whatever was said sounded sarcastic, so Tinsely was growing more complacent in not knowing what was said.

"Miguel" Lucy said firmly, obviously ending that conversation.

"So, how did you and Ricky meet?" Lucy asked filling the silence   
"It was at the opening of the museum Mamá" Ricky answered for Tinsley, "Fran spotted him and I went over to talk to him" Ricky turned to Tinsley "Do you remember?".  
"Uh yes. Yes I do remember".  
"I asked you a question, do you remember what my question was?".  
"Is it really relevant?" Tinsley said with a sigh.  
"Well I do remember you drinking quite a bit that night but never enough to completely forget a-".  
"You asked me how much I knew about Locusta".  
"And?" Ricky pressed on.  
"The famous poison's expert from the final two reigns of the Julio-Claudian dynasty- she was attributed to assisting with the poisonings of many people... including two Emperors"   
"And why do you think I asked you that?"  
Tinskey went quiet for a moment, growing increasingly more uncomfortable- fully aware of everyone's eyes on him. He looked down into his lap and fiddled with his hands. "Morbid fascination?" He questioned quietly.

Suddenly Miguel broke out into laughter. Tinsley looked around, confused.   
"My brother? Morbid fascination? Oh oh my-" Miguel said trying to get his words out between laughs. Even the Butler had a small smile on his face. "I don't get it?" Tinsley whisped to Ricky quietly. "Oh but I think you do Tinman". Suddenly it made sense to Tinsley. Sure, none of them had said anything outright, but the meaning was still there. "Me?! Morbid fascination? I've been in dodgy dealings for quite some time now Tinman" Ricky continued with a sly smile. "Plus, you're cute when you're being all meek" and with that comment Tinsley went beet-red in the face.

"¡Mira Mamá, el esta sonrojado!" Miguel said excitedly.

"Miguel!" Lucy scolded, and turned to Tinsley "I'm sorry about them, can I offer you another drink?"   
"No thank you, I'm going to have to make a move now, I've got work tomorrow" Tinsley said standing up to leave. He was tired, quite done with socialising, and would much rather just be at home alone with his cat.

"Well it was lovely to meet you detective" Lucy said, standing and shaking the Detective's hand. "And you too, Goodnight" he responded, turned on his heel and left.


	5. A big softie wrapped in a trench coat

Ricky got up quickly, and followed the Detective. It was only once they had both reached the outside of the house that Ricky caught up. "You didn't say goodbye" Ricky said impatiently. "Yes I did" Tinsley said, not slowing down. "You didn't say goodbye, _to me"_ Ricky said, finally getting just far enough ahead of the detective to stop him in his tracks. The shorter man gently slipped his arms around the taller man's chest neck- not to be overly romantic, but more as a gesture to tell the Detective to stay.

"I didn't have to say goodbye to you, because I knew you'd follow me anyway", Tinsley said placing his hands into his pockets, "And because you were being a brat" he finished with a shrug. "Wow you really do know how to make a man feel special" Ricky said sarcastically, getting onto tiptoes so he could look the detective in the eye. He moved his hands to the back of Tinsley's neck and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I'm glad you came here Cece" Ricky smiled, but it wasn't a snarky or mischievous smile, it was a genuine smile, and Tinsley could see that. It made his heart go all warm and fuzzy.   
"I can't say that I had a good time, but I did enjoy the company" Tinsley said with a sigh, lazily drawing the smaller man closer to him.

Ricky's heart fluttered slightly, he didn't know that the detective was quite so sentimental- sure he had guessed that under all of those layers of mystery, CC Tinsley was probably just a big softie wrapped in a trench coat, but he had never expected for the Detective to show it to _him_ , of all people.

A moment passed, the two men just stood there, in the dark, holding each other. Ricky shivered, he hadn't brought his coat with him as he left.   
"We should probably get going then, I do have work tomorrow" Tinsley lied, hoping to get Ricky into the car to stop the smaller, jacket-less, man from getting frostbite.   
"Yes I suppose you're right" Ricky agreed, climbing into the driver's seat.

The drive back to CC's apartment was quiet and uneventful- but not uncomfortable like the original journey had been. When Tinsley got out of the car, Ricky walked him to to the front door. Tinsley got out his keys and unlocked his front door.

"Well, Goodnight Tinman" Ricky said turning away to walk down the drive. Tinsley paused for a second.  
"Ricky wait- do you want to come in for a drink?" Tinsley called down the drive.  
"Really? I thought you said you had work tomorrow?" Ricky turned around the face Tinsley, a smirk on his face.   
"Uh yeah.. but I don't have to be in until the afternoon... and I've got tea" Tinsley said, looking down at his shifting feet.

Tinsley didn't lift his head as he heard Ricky approach, instead waiting until the man was right infront of him. "Yeah, I'd like that" Ricky said softly, looking up at the Detective.

Ricky sat at the table in Tinsley's kitchen, watching him make a cup of tea for the two men. Ricky noticed all of the little mannerisms that Tinsley used while whizzing about the kitchen: the way he opened cupboards with his right hand but closed cupboards with his left hip, the multitude of colourful mismatched mugs, and the way he hummed along to a little tune as he waited for the kettle to boil.

Ricky was snapped out of his thoughts by the feeling of something brushing up against his ankle. He looked down and saw a fluffy orange cat looking up at him with curiosity. "Oh that's just Obi, you can pet him if you want" Tinsley's voice announced. Ricky wasn't usually a big cat person, but he happily scooped up the little cat and placed him in his lap, petting his head softly. The cat settled down and purred in content.

Soon enough, a mug was placed infront of Ricky, who nodded in appreciation. Tinsley pulled up the seat across from Ricky and took a sip of the warm tea. Nothing was said for a few minutes, the two men happy enough to sit in silence.

Ricky set his mug down, "Thanks, I needed that" he said, watching as Obi stretched and jumped down from his lap, headed towards the cat flap and left. "No problem", Tinsley replied, "Do you want to come through to the living room?".  
"Sure" Ricky replied, following Tinsley into the next room.

Decorated with a sofa, a fireplace, a small coffee table, and a bookcase: the room was cosy. Ricky sat down on the sofa, tucking his legs under him- sure it wasn't all that polite, but he doubted Tinsley would mind. "You've got a nice place here Tin Tin" he commented.   
"Mmm I like it, its quiet" Tinsley said, matches in hand as he tried to light the fireplace. "Don't you ever get lonely- being here all by yourself?" Ricky asked patiently.   
"Sometimes, but it's okay really, and I've got Obi who helps keep me company- oh there we go" Tinsley replied, lighting the fire and putting a log on.

Tinsley sat down on the sofa next to Ricky, leaving a gentlemanly and respectful space between them- which was immediately closed by Ricky, who wriggled up close to Tinsley. Tinsley felt his face go a little warm.  
"Is this okay, Cece?"  
"Uh yeah, yeah" Tinsley said, trying to come off as passive and unaffected by the smaller man who was cuddled up to him.   
"Nice" Ricky said softly, closing his eyes and resting his head on Tinsley's shoulder.

Tinsley looked down fondly at the devil of a man that was Ricky Goldsworth. He felt his heart rate slow to a comfortable pace as he listened to Ricky breathing softly.  
"Ricky?" he asked quietly.  
"Mmm?" The smaller man mumbled sleepily.  
"You asked me what my name was a couple of weeks ago".  
"Yer".  
Tinsley paused momentarily, before continuing, sure of his decision.  
"My name's Charles. Charles Cecil Tinsley" he said quietly. Ricky looked up into his eyes, "Charlie", he whispered with a sleepy smile, "It suits you".


	6. Sued boots aren't waterproof

Francesca drew her coat closer around her, it was a cool night- thankfully not particularly rainy or windy, but she could still see her breath coil in front of her face.

She was stood on the side if the road, taking in the ambiance, when a black Rolls Royce passed in front of her quickly. Ricky _,_ she thought- he was the only one in town who had a Rolls Royce. She pondered what he was doing so far downtown at this time of night, but pushed it aside, instead turning up her collar and walking up the sloped road.

Fran found herself standing on a familiar road, and at the end of the road, was her apartment. Fran tossed her long dark curls over her shoulder as she felt droplets fall onto her face- it had started raining.

Quickening her pace to avoid getting completely soaked, Fran hurried onwards as the rain began to get heavier. She looked down at the floor so she could step over the growing puddles, in the attempt to keep her suede boots dry- because they were _definitely_ not going to be waterproof.

Suddenly, a car sped past, and a large puddle splased up at Fran. Now thoroughly soaked and her boots leaking through, Francesca ran up to her apartment door.

Swinging the door open and swiftly locking it behind her, Fran stripped her coat and boots off, placing the coat on a radiator to dry. She moved through to the kitchen where she placed the boots in the empty sink- she could deal with them tomorrow, she was far too tired to do much if anything.   
Being the eyes and ears of the Goldsworth family (and their "business" in Chicago) was a tiring job- but, it had it's perks.

Fran had lost her parents when she was younger, so Lucy took her in and raised her as her own- meaning that Ricky and Miguel were basically brothers to her. The other plus to being a Goldsworth was having a lot of respect in town- so people didn't usually tend to bother her.

Despite the open door at the Goldsworth's estate, Fran preferred to live alone. Sure, it wasn't a small apartment- but the safe, secluded atmosphere was still there.

Fran shuddered with the cold, realising she was still in her damp clothing from when she had arrived. Fran walked into her bedroom and peeled the sodden layers off. She moved into the ensuite bathroom and drew herself a warm bath. 

A little while later Fran emerged from the room, feeling much better. She slipped a into a silk robe and sat down at her vanity, gently brushing out her long hair. Setting the brush down, she rose out of her chair and walked into the living room.

Fran walked straight over to the gramophone in the corner of the room, picking up a vinyl disk and putting it on. The tune began to lull quietly- she liked this song , it was soothing.

She moved back across the room, sitting down in a plush armchair and picking up the novel on the coffee table next to it. It was a Romance novel, one of her favourites. The book didn't have a particularly intense storyline, it was slow and full of soft moments- like the main characters holding hands, exchanging love letters and having picnics.

After what only seemed like a few minutes of reading, Francesca heard a knocking at her door. Confused and a little annoyed that someone was trying to interrupt her quiet evening, she looked up at the clock. It was 1 in the morning. Fran realised that whoever is knocking on her door this late at night must have an urgent reason. With a sigh, she got up and went over to the door. Remembering that she was still only in pyjamas, and barely covered, she called out to the person behind the door.

"Who's there!?"   
"It's Holly- your neighbor. I uh... may I come in?" the voice replied   
"I'm... uh not entirely dressed"   
"Oh I can jus-" Holly started up.   
Oh what the hell, Fran thought, unlocking the door and opening it.   
"Come in then, it's far too cold for you to be stood out there". Fran leant across Holly to close the door, before sitting down on the sofa.

Holly awkwardly stepped further inside. "I um... my key got stuck in the door of my apartment and the locksmith said he couldn't come out for another hour or so- so I wo-" she mumbled.  
"You can stay here until he arrives".  
"Oh! Oh thank you" Holly said with relief.

Francesca gestured at Holly to sit on the sofa next to her, "You can come a bit closer, I don't bite".


	7. Loverboy

Tinsley woke up the next day feeling very well rested. Remembering the night before, he opened his eyes expecting to see Ricky still basically on top of him. But Ricky was gone. Feeling a little disappointed, Tinsley got up and looked around his apartment. But sure enough, there were no signs of the smaller man.

Tinsley sighed, inhaling deeply, he realised that he smelt of Ricky: of orange, spice and sandalwood- he smiled a little at this. The detective wondered when Ricky had left, had he stuck around while he was asleep? That question only brought more questions forward.

However, one question he naturally felt he should investigate was that he had left his case file for Ricky on the tiny table he called a 'desk'. That folder was now gone.

"Goldsworth" he muttered under his breath, grinding his teeth together. "So this was all just an elaborate ploy to make a fool out of the detective, huh Ricky", he muttered angrily to himself, "You've gone and done it now haven't you Charles? Goddamn it Tinsley." he hissed angrily at himself. He was going to have to get that case file back, and fast. God he hoped that Ricky hadn't damaged it. Oh who was he kidding! It was probably ashes by now.

Tinsley raked his hands through his hair, his mood completely ruined. He quickly changed into his clothes for the day "Lying to yourself too now Charles?" he said with a grunt-like laugh- he didn't actually change, he just put on a new tie to make it look like he was wearing new clothes. The only person who had ever noticed was Holly, not that Tinsley would ever admit to it of she brought it up.

Tinsley dashed down the stairs, and into the kitchen to make a quick cup of black coffee: it was strong, but he needed it. He grabbed his satchel and looked down at his watch, it was 2 in the afternoon already? He about to be late for work. Perfect. "A _perfect_ start to a _perfect_ day" he grumbled.

Speeding out his front door, he slammed it behind him. Tinsley was about to turn away when he realised a slip of paper was taped to his front door. He snatched it up angrily and read it:

_"I had a nice night, Loverboy! We should do it again some time. See you soon, Ricky xxx"_

Tinsley balled up the note, his hands shaking with fury. How dare he, how _dare_ he- steal his case file, leave him alone, and then call him _loverboy._ Tinsley was just about done with Rickt Goldsworth.

Putting the crumpled up paper in his pocket, he set off to the office in a huff.

When he arrived 10 minutes later, he was greeted by Holly, with her usual upbeat and tone. "Afternoon, Tinsley! You've had a call from-"  
Tinsley kept walking. He could see some of the uniformed police officers look around in confusion, and move aside as he stormed through. He could be quite intimidating if he wanted to be, despite being a golden labrador of a man. However, golden labradors are still dogs- and this bitch was about to bite.

Tinsley flung open his office door and stalked in. He reached his desk, and leaned forward onto his hands, his head lowered. As if on que, the phone on his desk began to rang. Staring at it as it rung out, Tinsley considered his options for the day. Without the case file, he couldn't really do much of anything. He could pretend to work- but that would waste an entire day. He could lie to McClintock and say that the case file had been... destroyed by his cat? No, be couldn't do that- he'd feel guilty because McClintock would blindly trust him. McClintock was a good man, but a _really_ gullible Chief of police.

Tinsley sighed as the phone stopped ringing. He took off his hat and threw it across the room, not caring where it landed. He would probably loose his job if everyone found out that he'd had a folder stolen from him by a known criminal that he'd blindly trusted, _and_ invited into his home- that or he'd quit out of embarrassment.

He plonked himself down at his desk and took a swig out of the small flask of booze he kept in the bottom draw of his desk. "What now?" Tinsley questioned quietly to himself.

It had been a few hours since Tinsley had arrived at his office, yet every quarter of an hour or so the phone would ring, and Tinsley would stare at it until it stopped. Whoever was calling was being very persistent, or to Tinsley, very irritating. Tinsley was twitching with annoyance when it started again. Tinsley roughly grabbed the receiver and had to stop himself from screaming at the person on the other end of the line, instead opting for a curt:

"Hello?"  
"Oh Charlie!" Ricky said with a playful sigh, "You shouldn't ignore me like that! I'm hurt y'know? I was only calling to ask you-".

Tinsley interrupted him sharply, lowering his voice to a cold, level tone.   
"Listen here Goldsworth. When I get my hands on you, I'll wring your neck like the lying, thieving, little-"

"Detective!", Ricky cut him off briskly, "How rude, I only called to ask you how your day is going!", he said with fake shock. "Plus, you should really leave the neck wringing to the professionals." Ricky paused momentarily, You wouldn't want to get your hands dirty now, would you loverboy?" Ricky said smoothly. God it was that voice- it was smoky, alluring: made him go crazy for Ricky, and he was sure it had that effect on everyone. But Tinsley came to his senses.

"Don't _ever_ call me that. The case file, where is it?" He asked angrily, raising his voice.  
"Oh that... don't you mean, _my_ case file?"  
"Don't be pedantic, you ass, where is it?!"   
"I don't know where it is, honey, have you tried the last place you left it?" Ricky asked mockingly, knowing full well that Tinsley had probably ransacked his house looking for it.  
"Stop it. God just stop it."   
"Oh Charlie, little boys who play with fire...", he trailed off and dropped his voice back down to that smooth, smoky whisper.   
"...get their fingers burned".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes that is a Mamma Mia quote, don't @me lol


	8. Happy to hear

Ricky hung up the phone and chuckled to himself. Little did the detective know, the missing case file had been replaced on his desk, in the last place he'd left it- Ricky hadn't been lying when he told him that.

Getting up from his desk (which he had been rather unceremoniously sat on top of, twirling the phone cord around his fingers), Ricky smiled as he noticed the calendar open on his desk, it was only a few days until his birthday. Sure, he was the future head of a crime family, but he was still a child at heart and goddamn it he was allowed be excited about his birthday if he wanted to be.

He remembered some of his previous birthdays- how could he forget his 13th?! Miguel ran into a tree and had a black eye for the best part of two weeks, _best party ever._ However, the majority of his more recent partys had been in the traditional Goldsworth style: classy, elegant, mature and glamorous.

As interesting as some aspects of the party could be, Ricky often found himself sat in the corner alone by hour 5, nursing a flute of champagne. The more time he spent with other people, and their partners, and families, he became increasingly more aware of the passage of time and how incredibly lonely he was.

As head of the family, it would eventually be in his interest to one day have someone to pass the mantel onto. And sure, Ricky loved the idea of kids, but the more he thought about it, the more complicated it became. What if they got hurt, or wrapped up in business?! It stressed him out just to think about it. And plus! Ricky wasn't sure if he was ready to settle down yet- he enjoyed the nights out, the drinking, and the playboy lifestyle too much- was he sure he wanted to give that all up so soon?!

But he had a sinking feeling that if he couldn't convince his associates that he was the man for the job, they would get rid of him. Replace him with Miguel. Sure, Ricky was the golden boy of the town, but Miguel was a _businessman,_ and a successful one at that. And he had a partner, Miguel never stopped talking about their exploits and their exiting yet dangerous close scrapes with police.

His mom had told him that she would _never_ pressured him to pick a person- but at partys she always made a point to introduce Ricky to as many people as possible, hoping that at least _one_ would stick. However, Ricky could tell that his mom was starting to get worried that he'd never pick someone- it's probably why she agreed to give Tinsley a chance.

Hopefully, when he invited Tinsley to his birthday gathering, he would say yes, and Ricky wouldn't have to spend the next day hungover and clinging onto either Fran or his mother. The other perk of inviting Tinsley would be having someone to talk with that was interesting, instead of being stuck with a dull stranger that came up to him to drone on about 'the state of the economy'. Ricky also intended to get Charlie to dance with him. He didn't know how, but he'd figure it out.

Ricky then realised that he might need just a _little_ help convincing the detective to come. Maybe his joke with the case file had been too much... luckily, he had faith in his eye on the inside. He picked up the phone and dialled a number quickly.  
"Hey Fran? I've got a big favour to ask..."

25 minutes later, Francesca was stood in the kitchen of one Holly Horsely, pretending to ask to borrow some sugar.

Holly was madly rushing around her kitchen trying to find a bag of sugar to lend to her neighbour when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey, um...Holly?" Fran asked with her best polite smile, technically what she was pulling was a bit underhanded, but she could always make it up to her bubbly neighbour.

"Yes?" Holly replied   
"I don't actually need any sugar"  
"So why did you...?"  
"Ricky's birthday is coming up in a couple of days... and I wondered if you wanted to come along?"

Holly paused for a second. There was no way that _the_ Francesca Norris, a Goldsworth, was inviting _her_ to a _Goldsworth_ party. Partys thrown by the Goldsworths were the most exclusive events in town- anyone who is anyone would be there!

"I'd love to!" Holly replied, barely containing her excitement.   
"Great! Oh and maybe you should drag that detective of yours along too- he looks like he needs to get out of the office for a hot sec"   
"Would he be allowed to come?" Holly asked quizzically.  
"I'm sure Ricky wouldn't mind" Francesca replied with a smile, knowing full well that Ricky would be happy to hear the news.


	9. Tall scoundrel

To be honest, Tinsley knew it was a bad idea from the second Holly brought it up. Somehow he got the feeling that Miss Norris extending the invitation to Ricky's party wasn't an offer, but rather a command. He was expected to be there, and he knew that's exactly how Ricky wanted it.

Despite all of that, he _was_ in fact walking up the hill to the Goldsworth residence- not that he was pleased to be back. He was even dressed to the nines for the party, because Holly, "wouldn't let him go out looking like he'd just crawled out of a dustbin".

Tinsley had offered his arm to Holly to help her get up the hill, as he could imagine that walking up quite a steep hill in heels wouldn't be the most comfortable task. 

Ricky looked out into the small wave of people arriving, most from cars, some on foot. He scanned the crowd for a particular tall scoundrel-from-the-Windy City. Upon catching sight of said detective, a smile lit up his face.

"Fran you're a miracle worker"  
"No problem Goldie-locks"   
"New nickname?"  
"Fresh in", Fran smiled.

She walked away and over to Miss Horsely, who had previously been clinging off of Tinsley. That last observation brought a slight damper onto his mood, he really hoped Holly wasn't interested in Tinsley in that manner. The room was full now, and it seemed the party had begun.

However, he was brought to quite a sudden halt when he properly locked eyes with the detective. _Oh,_ Ricky thought, trying to force down any audible noise he might make from excitement- Tinsley looked _incredible_ in a fitted suit. He noticed it was a different one to the other two he usually wore on rotation. And he had properly styled his hair (for once) and was clean-shaven. Ricky had seen his fair share of attractive men -including the one he saw in the mirror- but _damn._

"Well detective" he said, strolling over, a glass in hand, "I was quite right to put my faith in you- you do clean up nicely!" Ricky smirked, extending his hand for a handshake. Tinsley sighed, but then shook his hand,

"Don't flatter yourself Goldsworth. But I do have to ask how you pulled off that trick with the case file- which one of your _friends_ did it? I was probably only out of the house for ten minutes before you called me, the first time."   
"Firstly, we're on a first name basis- so just call me Ricky, and secondly, I've got eyes everywhere Tin Tin, these ones just so happened to be stationed outside of your apartment".

Tinsley didn't respond for a moment, so Ricky took the opportunity to fill the silence between them. "For a detective, you're not very observant- well, at least you're not when you're too angry to notice a woman sat on the bench across the road from your apartment".

Tinsley continued to be silent- he was pretty pissed off, but he _had_ asked for an answer. It was just one he didn't like. And he didn't like it because it was true. Charles Ceil Tinsley had a temper. It wasn't on display often, as he tended to have be quite docile in nature. But when it was, he became a nasty and easily agitated bastard.

Tinsley sighed, "You win. You win, Ricky".  
"You talkin' to me?" the smaller man replied with a smirk.  
"I don't exactly see anybody else here called Ricky though do I?"   
"Smartass" Ricky scoffed.  
"Dumbass"  
"Shut it, long legs"   
"I'm still taller than you though" Tinsley retorted with a smirk. Ricky punched him in the arm playfully, and despite being pretty quick witted, the detective didn't have much more to say other than, "Ouch! You bitch, that hurt!".

Ricky smiled and laughed at this, taking a glass of champagne from a waiter and offering it to Tinsley, who took it. "What should we be toasting to then, Ricky?".

"To good health" Ricky replied with a winning smile, lifting his glass.


	10. I'll bite

After an hour or so of good conversation, a comfortable hush fell over the pair who were sat on the sofa in the corner of the hall.  
They watched the party with no particular focus, letting their eyes drift around the room. Then suddenly, Lucy Goldsworth sprung upon the pair.

"Detective Tinsley, how wonderful it is to see you here! Ricky was incredibly nervous that you wouldn't show-" she began.   
"¡Mamá!" Ricky interrupted.  
"¡Mijo!" Lucy smiled back.   
"¿Por qué siempre haces esto?" Ricky replied with an exasperated tone.   
"I just want to get to know the poor fellow before you tear him to shreds!"

"Oh, is that a common pattern for you then, Ricky?" Tinsley asked sipping from his champagne flute before putting it down onto the table.   
"Oh not you too- honestly, you'd think a guy can catch a brake around here but _no_ " Ricky said with a laugh.

"Are you enjoying your party though, Mijo?" Lucy said, sitting down on the sofa next to Ricky. "Yes Mamá, I am" Ricky replied, turning to look at Tinsley, who gave a lopsided grin in return.

Lucy leaned over to Tinsley, "Can I trust you boys to behave?" she whispered into his ear with a knowing smile.   
Tinsley didn't answer for a second, feeling his face go very warm "uh ye- yes Mrs Goldsworth" he stuttered out. Ricky looked at then both, incredibly confused.

At this Lucy laughed and stood up, "I'll leave you two to it then! I hope you've had a nice night Mijo", she said to Ricky before disappearing into the crowd.

"What did my mom tell you?!" Ricky asked nervously.   
"Hmm? Oh nothing" Tinsley replied, regaining the nonchalance that he'd lost just moments before.   
"Tinsley I swear to god- just tell me already!" Ricky said impatiently.   
"Promise you'll stop taking my case files?" the detective asked, leaning back and crossing his hands behind his head.   
"...fine, I promise" Ricky said reluctantly.

Tinsley leaned in closer to Ricky, in fact, almost over Ricky- placing his hand next to Ricky's opposite thigh to help stabilise himself. Ricky felt his heart rate skyrocket as he felt Tinsley's lips pressed next to his ear, "She asked me if she could trust us to behave".

Ricky went incredibly bashful for a moment, entirely losing his composure the same way Tinsley had when Lucy had asked him the same question earlier. Ricky, regaining his ability to articulate, exclaimed, "Detective! Get ahold of yourself- I am a public man!" before pushing Tinsley away from him.

Crumpling in on himself slightly, Tinsley muttered a small " _oh_ " before looking down and fiddling with his hands.   
"Don't take me so seriously Tinman", Ricky sighed, "I just don't want the reputation of being the honey of some 'big-shot' Detective from Chicago".

"And what would be wrong with that?" Tinsley asked quietly.

Ricky sighed, "Don't pull the reel in too soon, Detective, you won't catch any fish" he said softly. "But considering that you've caught me in a good mood, I'll bite. Dance with me Charlie."


	11. Put your head on my shoulder

"Wha- what-?" Tinsley started, before being pulled to his feet by the smaller yet considerably stronger man. Feeling a slight warmth in his face, Tinsley kept his head down as he felt the other man watch him expectantly.

"Well?, Ricky asked impatiently, "Are we doing this or not?"   
Tinsley shifted nervously from one foot to the other.   
"Yeah sure-"   
"Great" Ricky interrupted with a wide smile

Tinsley glanced around the room to see if anyone was watching, only to lock eyes with Holly. Seeing what was transpiring, Holly motioned for Tinsley to put his hand on Ricky's waist. Which he did. Very awkwardly.

Picking up on Tinsley's obvious nervous energy, Ricky smirked "You can be a bit more rough with me you know- I'm not going to shatter like a China plate, Tinman".   
"Yeah yeah I know, hardened criminal and all that" Tinsley responded, trying to relax.

"No I mean- you don't have to be so formal and stiff, just have fun" Ricky said with a laugh, reaching forward to put his hand on Tinsley's shoulder.

After a couple of minutes of uncoordinated shuffling, the pair finally found their rhythm. They swayed back and forth to the music, Ricky leaning his head against Tinsley's chest.

Most of the room noticed the two dancing, but respectfully tried not to stare- instead just throwing glances whenever they thought no one else was looking. On an average day, they were an odd looking, mismatched pair- but on that evening, they were simply meant for each other.

However, Miguel wasn't quite so sure about that. He leaned against the back wall of the party, drink in hand, watching the detective.  
Sure, he could stay in town all he wanted, but if he wanted to dance with _his_ brother at a public event then maybe it was a good idea to run some precautionary background checks- just to see if the detective had anything major to hide. If he was no good, or even dangerous, then he'd be asked to leave _._

Still, it was nice to see his older brother   
happy for once. Usually he'd spend his time on short flings, and drinking alone in the kitchen when he thought no one was there- so the tall scraggly Chicagoan was a nice change. In fact, that reminded Miguel of his _own_ tall, scraggly Chicagoan.

Miguel stepped out of the hall, and went down the corridor and into the parlour room, which thankfully, was vacant. He contemplated for a moment, before dialling up the number of his office back in Chicago, knowing that his associate-with-benefits would probably be sat at his desk.

"Hey" he started   
"Hello, you've reached Mikey's Bar how can I help-" the voice on the other end of the line rambled.   
"Its me dumbass", Miguel interrupted with a sigh, "Could you not tell? Also are you sat at my desk again?"

A pause passed

"No?" The voice responded slowly with a guilty tone.   
"I call bullshit, however that's not why I'm calling"  
"You called because you miss Legs Madej and wanted to hear his gorgeous voice because you've missed him so much? Wow Nightie I didn't take you for the romantic type-"

"Oh shaddup", Miguel interrupted sharply, "I need to ask you to run background on someone"   
"What's the magic word?"   
"Dios mío how old are you,12?!"   
"Do you want me to run a background or not?"

Miguel sighed deeply, "Please?"  
"And?"  
"Thankyou" Miguel gritted through his teeth.

"See that wasn't so hard! Who do you want this background on?"  
"There's this guy, called Charles C Tinsley, I need to know what his deal is."   
"Tinsley?!"  
"Yes that's what I said-"  
"What's he done?" Legs asked with a laugh.   
"Do you know him or something?" Miguel asked quizzically   
"Yes- he's my cousin. But I can't imagine him really _doing_ anything, other than like, accidentally forgetting to give to charity, but then making up for it by putting extra in next time"

Miguel was quiet for a moment, slightly amused by the concept of a mini-Legs and mini-Tinsley playing tag in the garden.

"So boss, do I still need to check him out?" Legs asked in the thickest Chicago accent that be could muster.   
"Maybe a small one, if you could manage."   
"I'll get that to you as soon as I can be bothered" the man on the phone quipped.

"I'm gonna be back home in a week, and if there's as much as _one_ scratch on that desk I'll cut your legs off with a rusty chainsaw-"  
"I don't think you could reach that high"   
"You little shi-"  
"Hey I'm not the little one here!-"

Miguel briskly hung up the phone, rocking back onto his heels and pushing his hands through his hair. As much as he loved the banter they had, Legs could get annoying pretty quick.

"Mijo, who was that?"   
Miguel spun around quickly to see his mother, who was in the doorway.  
"Just Madej, Mamá"   
"Can I ask what you were talking about?"   
"Hm... I'd prefer if you didn't" Miguel replied hesitantly.   
"Okay, as long as your being safe Mijo. Have you seen where your brother has gotten off to? Because I haven't seen that detective in a little while either..", Lucy trailed off.

Putting the pieces together, Miguel sighed,   
"Dios Mío, I don't want to know".


	12. A slice of bread and a couple of hobnobs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: there's some implied off screen... um.. well you'll get it

Tinsley woke the next day, tangled up in gold silk sheets, to soft sunlight streaming in through a gap in the curtains. Ricky was asleep next to him, breathing softly and nestled into Tinsley. Trying to suppress his urge to play with Ricky's hair, he shut his eyes and lay back down. Screw it, he thought, rolling over. He pressed his face into the crook of Ricky's neck and wrapped his arms around Ricky's waist. Tinsley took in the quiet of the moment, and the smell of Ricky that surrounded him.

"mm.. g'mornin' Charlie" Ricky's quiet, sleepy voice mumbled, as he pressed himself closer into the detective.

"Morning" Tinsley replied quietly. With a sudden jolt, he sat bolt upright.  
"Whatre you doing?", Ricky slurred curiously.  
"I need to be in work! Oh god I must be hours late-" Tinsley rattled on anxiously.  
"Itsa weekend, dum dum" Ricky responded, rolling over to face him.

Tinsley paused, "Oh.. yeah it is".  
"Stayyyy", Ricky whined, pulling him back down, "It's the weekend, you've got time to kill".   
"Actually I do have something planned today, and now you're going to make me late" Tinsley replied with a matter of fact tone, getting out of the bed.

He walked around the room, picking items of his clothing off the floor. Ricky lay on his side, watching the detective.

"Oh, like what?" Ricky smirked.   
"I'm going to the cafe at 1 o'clock"   
"Oh really?" the smaller man mused.   
"Yes, and don't be late" Tinsley stated smoothly, buttoning his shirt up.   
"Did you just...?"   
"Yup" he said lacing his shoes, and standing up.

Tinsley went to leave, but stopped himself, instead turning back around.  
"Hey Ricky?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Last night... was fun, we should do it again some time"   
"Which bit?" Ricky mused, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. To that, Tinsley rolled his eyes, picked up his hat and left.

Ricky sat up, stretched his arms and looked at the time. It was only 10 o'clock, which meant he had some time before he went out with Tinman later. To be honest, Ricky was actually pretty impressed, with the little one liner and everything- damn, he was going on a date with a _detective._ Well, a good-looking detective.

Then it dawned on him that people had probably noticed them go missing from the party. Flopping back down on his bed, he groaned loudly, raking his fingers through his hair. He didn't think about that the night before. _Damn it!_ He couldn't have made it any more obvious either- he didn't even go back to the Tinsley's house! They were too wrapped up in each other to think straight, and the booze probably didn't help with the thought process either.

Although oddly, he didn't feel as hung over as he would usually on the night after the party. He guessed having Tinsley over distracted him from the heavy drinking. Neat.

20 minutes later, Ricky snook into the pantry, to steal whatever he could get his hands onto for a small breakfast- he would feel bad for bothering the Mayor, especially since he probably spent the morning cleaning up after the party the night before. A slice of bread and a couple of Hobnobs would do, Ricky thought to himself, cramming one of the biscuits into his mouth.

"What are you doing?"

Ricky whipped around to face the sudden intruder- thankfully, it was only Francesca. Swallowing the food he had in his mouth he replied, "Breakfast"  
"What happened last night? One second you were in the hall, the next you were gone- and that detective too" she said folding her arms.   
"Fran I'm an adult" Ricky retorted calmly, sitting down on the kitchen counter.

Fran uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips, "You're eating biscuits for breakfast, at 10 o'clock in the morning."   
"And your point is?"

Francesca sighed, shaking her head. She turned to leave, but paused for a moment in the doorway "Miss Horsely was very worried about where the detective disappeared off to, she thought he was probably passed out drunk in the garden somewhere.." Francesca trailed off, in suspense   
"... but that's none of my business" she said, leaving. Girl knows how to make an exit, Ricky mused.

He thought that it was maybe a good idea to go and have a good _chat_ with Miss Horsley, just to gauge her relationship with Tinsley and to set anything straight if he needed to. It was almost 11 o'clock, so Ricky decided that if he was going to do something, now was the time.

Jumping up from his seat on the kitchen counter, he grabbed his jacket and car keys, and headed out of the house- Holly Horsely had _no idea_ what was coming.


	13. Potatoes and death threats

Ricky had only been at Miss Horsely's flat for 15 minutes or so before he was wiping the blood off of his hands. Really, he should have been more careful. For a guy who's profession is basically to 'hold a knife and look good', he was getting sloppy.

Somehow, he had managed to cut himself on Miss Horsely's kitchen knife while helping her prepare the carrots for her roast dinner. She had insisted that he help, and he wasn't exactly one to shy away from getting his hands dirty.

"Do you want a plaster for that?" Holly asked, interrupting Ricky's thoughts.   
"Um yeah, yes please" Ricky responded.   
Holly disappeared from the room, hopefully getting him a plaster. He was pretty annoyed, as he realised that he had totally lost his intimidating edge- that could make his job a little harder.

Holly re-entered the room and handed Ricky the plaster, "Here you go", she said, turning to start peeling the potatoes. Ricky mumbled a small 'thanks' before picking the knife up again. The room was awkwardly still for a moment.

"You still haven't said why you're here, Mr Goldsworth", Holly revealed, cutting through the tension. Ricky was quiet for a moment, before replying.  
"Miss Horsely, why do you think I'm here?" he asked, tilting the knife so it glimmered in the sunlight- he knew that usually made people anxious and unsettled, and more likely to say what was on their mind.

However, there is one thing Ricky hadn't foreseen about Holly. She wasn't called 'The Unflappable Horsely' for nothing. Holly turned to him and spoke calmly, "I have no idea what you're talking about, you haven't given enough context for me to be able to make a good judgement", she enunciated as she continued to peel the potatoes.

Ricky was almost impressed. Almost. But Ricky is not a patient man, and he knew when his time was being wasted. "Miss Horsely-"   
"Holly."   
"Holly, then. How attached are you to the detective?", Ricky asked maliciously.

She stopped at this, putting the peeler down and turning to face him. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to know if you're going to get in my way, Holly" Ricky explained smoothly, putting the knife on the counter and rolling his sleeves up.

"Are you going to hurt him?! Because if you are, then yes- I am going to get in your way!" Holly replied, becoming more unnerved.

"No Holly, I need to know if I'm going to have to hurt _you._ "

"Me?! Because I'll know you killed the detective and I'm not going to keep quiet just because you're threatening me!-"

Ricky sighed, he was getting nowhere with the cheap intimidation tactics.   
"Holly, do you like the detective?"   
"Yes, of course I like him! He's utterly insufferable but he's been good to me-"

"No I-", Ricky stammered impatiently, "I meant do you like, _like_ the detective?"   
"Romantically?" Holly questioned in return.   
"Yes I mean romantically."

"No!" She exclaimed with a look of annoyance. "Why would you think I like him like that? I just told you I thought he was insufferable!", Holly paused for a second, "Oh... oh I see what this is now- you're jealous of me!".   
"What no I'm not-"   
"Yes you are! That's what this is all about! _You_ like Tinsley!" Holly realised loudly.

"Would you shut the hell up?!" Ricky snapped.  
He was just about done with Holly Horsely, and if she wasn't friends with Tinsley, she would've been lying in a pool of her own blood, the kitchen knife up to it's hilt in her stomach. He gritted his teeth together angrily, "If you say a _word_ of this conversation to anyone else, Lo juro por Dios I _will_ have you hunted down and made an example of, are we clear?". She nodded wordlessly.

"I do like the detective", Ricky admitted softly.

Holly grinned in excitement, she had secretly shipped the two for months, and considering how she watched Tinsley sneak away from the party, she knew she probably wasn't far off.

"How long have you liked him?" She asked curiously.  
"Ever since I saw his dorky face and lanky limbs from across the room at the Museum exhibit opening", Ricky said with a quiet smile, "I didn't know who he was, but I knew I had to speak to him."

Holly was quiet for a couple of minutes, before responding confidently.   
"I trust Tinsley with my life, and if Tinsley sees something in you, then you might be worth keeping around- despite your tendency for criminal activity, and the fact you threatened my life just now."

"No proof, Miss Horsely. And remember what I said, if you as much as _breathe_ _one word_ -"  
"I'll be skinned and turned into a pair of shoes, yeah I understand." Holly interrupted with a smug smile.

"Good" he replied. "Well, I think I'll be on my way now, I wouldn't want to miss my date with the detective now would I?" Ricky said, turning on his heel and heading for the door.

"You go get 'em Tiger!" Holly called as Ricky crossed the threshold, swinging the door shut behind him.


	14. Hullo to you too, dear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: this chapter gets a little angsty, but I promise it won't last forever!

1 o'clock came, but when Tinsley got the call, he wasn't impressed. So in his mind, dragging Ricky Goldsworth, by his tie, into the alley next to the cafe was what he deserved.

Tinsley pushed Ricky against the wall sharply. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!" the detective snapped angrily.   
"Oh, so no Hullo to you too, dear?", Ricky asked sarcastically, "Not gonna ask me how my day-"   
"Why did you attack Holly?!" Tinsley interrupted angrily

Ricky laughed, he hadn't expected Horsely to rat him out so quickly. "She was exaggerating, Tintin. We were just chatting" Ricky explained, rolling his eyes.   
"Well, the last person seen near her apartment was you, and Francesca just rang me to say that Holly's been taken to hospital. So you can shut up with all of the 'just chatting' bullshit".

That stopped Ricky in his tracks, "What?! But I never-"   
"I don't want to hear it! If you're going to be a jealous little bitch and start stabbing my friends, then I think we should stop seeing each other!"   
"I didn't stab her!" Ricky exclaimed, confused.   
" _Sure_ you didn't", Tinsley said sarcastically forcing Ricky into the wall behind him, pressing his arm into the smaller man's throat.

"Listen here Goldsworth", Tinsley hissed, "If Holly doesn't pull through, I will _personally_ arrest everyone in your little 'crime family circle'- and I will make _sure_ to arrest you last so you can watch your Empire crumble. I will personally dig up _every single_ _body_ in your back garden to make sure you can't escape justice. _Do_ _you understand_?" He conclude with an icy glare.

Ricky was confused, to say the least. He really hadn't hurt Horsely, he had thought about it, momentarily, but he didn't go through with it.

"I asked you a question Ricardo." Tinsley snapped.   
"Yes..." Ricky replied, "But I didn't stab h-"

In hindsight, Tinsley slapping Ricky was only a matter of time. It's what Ricky did next that surprised himself- he ran. Ran back to his car, locked the door, and cried.

He rested his forehead against the steering wheel. Ricky wasn't entirely sure _why_ he was crying though. The slap didn't _hurt,_ he'd definitely been hit harder before- on purpose and by accident. Then, he realised that he was crying because the slap came from Charlie.

However, Ricky put himself into Tinsley's shoes. He imagined Francesca in the place of Horsely- how would he feel if Tinsley stabbed Francesca and then lied to his face?! That only made him cry more, but he understood why the detective was so upset- he would be too. Except, Ricky _wasn't_ lying to Tinsley. Ricky really _didn't_ stab Holly. So if he didn't, who did?

Putting all of his questions aside, he switched the engine on and drove back to the house. Desperately trying to dry his eyes, he blotted at them with his sleeve. Trying to think about anything other than Charlie, he thought about what he could do to help.

Ricky pulled up onto his drive, to be greeted by the Mayor. He quickly answered all of the typical polite questions, before speeding off to his room and slamming the door. He sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands, still quite overcome with emotion.

After a couple of minutes, Ricky heard a quiet knock on the door, before his mom entered the room.   
"Mijo are you alright?", Lucy asked softly, "I thought you were supposed to be out for lunch today with the detective?". Ricky looked up at her, lip quivering, before openly starting to sob.  
"Oh Mijo", she sat down on the bed next to him and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, leaning into her shoulder. Lucy softly stroked his head and comforted him.

She was very unhappy to see her son like that, he wasn't easily upset- but when he was, he could cry for days at a time. As a mother it hurt to see her little boy cry. She decided it was probably best to speak to Ricky: to see what the problem was, and to see if she could fix it.

"Mijo, what's upsetting you?" She asked softly. Ricky, taking breaths between sobs, squeezed out a few wobbly phrases, "Charlie.... angry... thinks I stabbed his friend... doesn't want to.. to see me again-", before continuing sobbing.   
"He doesn't want to see you again?"

Ricky nodded sadly, he sniffed, "He slapped me too, but he didn't hit me hard at all, it- it just hurts that he doesn't trust me now".   
"Did you stab his friend, or not, Mijo?"  
"No Mamá! I didn't! But he won't believe me- he says he'll arrest everyone if his friend dies, _everyone_ Mamá".

Lucy paused for a moment. "Well we can't have that now can we, Mijo! I'll make a couple of calls and make sure his friend gets the best of treatment- I think his attitude towards seeing you will change when his friend turns out to be a-okay".

Ricky brightened up,"Really?! ¡Eres la mejor, Mamá!"

"Anything for you, Mijo"


	15. Look me in the eyes

Tinsley was incredibly angry with himself, he shouldn't have hit Ricky like that. However, Holly was priority. If Holly was _dying,_ and Ricky was to fault, then the detective was going to introduce Ricky to a long stay in a little cinder-block cell. He didn't care how much he felt for Ricky, anger was all he could feel now. He knew Ricky was dangerous, a murderer, but he never thought he'd take it this far.

Tinsley wasn't allowed to visit for a couple of days, but when the go ahead was given, he walked as quickly as he possibly could to the hospital. When he entered, he was greeted to white sterile walls and harsh lighting. Tinsley was directed by a nurse to Holly's new room, that he was informed had been paid for by an anonymous caller- although he already had his suspicions who.

The door was opened by an older man, who took off a thin pair of medical gloves to shake his hand, "You're Detective Tinsley, I presume?"  
"Yes, and you are?" Tinsley asked, accepting the handshake.  
The man spoke, taking his hand back, "Dr Fear, I... work here"   
"Good.. can I come in?"   
The doctor paused, before swinging the door wide for the detective to enter through.

Holly was unmoving and a little pale, but otherwise appeared to be stable enough.   
"Is she.. going to be alright?" Tinsley asked quietly.   
The doctor sighed, "We put her into a comatose state a couple of days ago in the hope she'll recover better. We'll give it a few more days, bring her round, and see how she's doing."

Tinsley nodded silently, bringing out a crushed bouquet of flowers that he had carried under his coat. He dropped them into the empty vase on the bedside table, and pulled up a chair next to the bed. 

"Visiting hours close in half an hour, I'll come back then to see you out" Fear concluded, closing the door behind him.

Tinsley turned back to face Holly, he didn't really have much to say, he was just really glad she was alive.

"Hey Holly, it's me... CC. I uh.. brought you some flowers- they're a bit mangled but they're still pretty I guess." he sighed, understanding that if she were conscious, Holly would not appreciate the waffle. "I'm really sorry, Holly. Really, _really_ sorry, that this has happened to you. And it's all my fault- I shouldn't have let this happen." Tinsley said, growing very upset with himself,  
"I should've known better, I'm a _Detective_ goddamnit! My whole job is protecting people and I've only managed to get you hurt-". He paused for a moment, taking a breath to calm down. "I just, I guess, I'm trying to say.."

"This wasn't your fault Charlie, don't make it your fault."

Tinsley whipped around to the sound of the voice. Sure enough, Ricky was stood in the doorway- head bowed in guilt.

"You have some nerve coming here, Goldsworth." Tinsley responded emptily.   
"Yes... I suppose I do. But I did pay for this room, so I have just as much of a right to be in here as you." Ricky explained.   
"But considering you put her in here, I don't think it weighs out!"

"Charlie, look me in the eyes", Ricky said softly, walking over to where Tinsley was sitting, resting his hands over the taller mans wrists and leaning over him. Tinsley stubbornly refused to make eye contact, until Ricky slipped his fingers under his chin to lift his face up.

Now locked eyes with the coiled snake that was Ricky Goldsworth, Tinsley didn't look away for a second- completely captured by Ricky's beautiful eyes. Ricky spoke softly, trying to be as sincere as possible, "Charlie, I didn't hurt her, I promise. I would never do anything like this, please, you have to believe me."

Tinsley was conflicted. Sure, as much as he wanted to admit he had fallen in love with (hands down) the most gorgeous man he'd ever met- he also had to consider the fact that the man in front of him was a dangerous criminal, who had lied to him before. If Tinsley trusted him now- would that be too quick of a turn around? However, something in Ricky's eyes told him that maybe he should give him a chance, that _maybe_ he wasn't lying. Tinsley reminded himself that Ricky had probably been trained from birth in puppy-dog eyes, but gave into them anyway.

Tinsley sighed, "Fine, I'll hear you out."   
Ricky leapt up excitedly,"Oh! Thank you- I promise you, you won't regret this!" he beamed happily. With a small amount of mumbling under his breath, Tinsley continued, "Can you confirm where you were when the attack happened?"

"Ooh so professional- but y'know me... I like a man in uniform" Ricky commented flirtatiously. "Is that a no then?" Tinsley asked, completely ignoring Ricky.

Ricky sighed, realising he was getting nowhere with flirting. He pulled up a chair next to Tinsley's. "Francesca saw me, I waved to her as I left and walked past her flat."   
"What time did you leave?"   
"11:30, I believe"  
"And Holly was found half an hour later, that doesn't rule you out- you're still not accounted for for 30 minutes."

Ricky remembered _exactly_ where he was for that half an hour. However, considering it was talking some...less than legal business with some... less than law abiding citizens, he didn't really want to drop any names.

"Ricky, where were you in that half an hour?"  
"I was at a meeting?"   
"You don't sound very sure about that."

Ricky stopped, irritated "Okay look, it was just some business- nothing big okay?"   
"Alright then", Tinsley continued, "Can anybody attest you were there?"

Ricky thought for a moment before answering. "The Mayor, he picked me up from outside of Francesca's flat and drove me to the meeting"   
"Alright... I'll take that as an answer. You still have an obvious m.o for attacking her though, I can't put that aside just yet".Thinking aloud, Tinsley asked, "But who else would attack Holly?"

Ricky answered not with the answer to his question, but with a possible solution, "I could call in a few favours... but I'm already indebted to quite a few people, some seriously hot water."   
"Thanks, Ricky."

Ricky stood up to leave, but Tinsley grabbed his wrist, "I'm.. um really sorry for hitting you, and getting angry at you before- I was just really upset and I shouldn't have treated you like that... would you... please stay?" Tinsley asked softly.

Ricky sat back down, resting his hand on top of Tinsley's.

"Tinman?"  
"Yes Ricky?"  
"It's okay... and... thank you." 


	16. The 'Francesca' card

Ricky was late home that night. When he had agreed to stay behind with Charlie, he hadn't envisioned the detective falling asleep leaning against him- making him incapable of movement in case he woke the taller man up. Doctor 'Fear' had completely forgot about them, and showed up and hour and a quarter later to kick them out.

Ricky took off his jacket and hung it in the coat room, as the Mayor was out of hours (and probably asleep). He yawned quietly, making his way through the house in the dark. He opened the door to his room, but before he could turn the main light on- a lamp flicked on. Sitting in his chair, was his mother, not looking awfully pleased.

"Mijo, where have you been all night?"  
"With Fran?" Ricky lied with a smile, knowing that the 'Francesca' card always worked.

Suddenly the second chair turned around.  
"Try again" Francesca responded with the same unimpressed tone.   
"Oh heyyy Fran! How did you get back so quickly" Ricky asked sheepishly, trailing off at the end as he tried to continue the lie.

Lucy sighed, "Mijo I'm very worried about you, you've been spending all of this time out of the house- and no one's had a clue _where_ you are and _who_ you're with! I've been sat here all night worrying! Waiting for you to get back! Miguel left for Chicago _hours_ ago Ricardo. You weren't even here to say goodbye!"

"Mamá, I _am_ a grown man I think I can look after myself."

"Ricky.." Francesca trailed off nervously. That was the giveaway. If Francesca was anxious, something bad was about to happen. And Ricky knew that.

Then Lucy Goldsworth proceeded to scream an angry torrent of Spanish at Ricky, for a quarter of an hour, seemingly without taking breaths. Ricky was paralysed in sheer terror of his 5"3 mother who was _shouting_ at him. He didn't think he'd _ever_ heard his mother shout before, yes she had raised her voice a couple of times, but _never_ like that.

Francesca was pressed so far into the back of the chair, that she might as well of been part of the chair. She had known Lucy was really upset with Ricky- god she had been sat with her as she nervously watched the hours tick by, waiting for Ricky to get back! Listening to Lucy shout reminded Francesca _exactly_ who the head of the Goldsworth family was, and by the look on Ricky's face, he knew it too.

After Lucy had stopped shouting, she slumped back into the chair she had originally been sat in, tired. Ricky, plucking up the courage, apologised quietly "I'm really sorry Mamá, it won't happen again".  
Lucy sighed, "I just worry, Mijo, you know I do"   
"I'm really sorry" Ricky repeated, even quieter than the first time.   
"Just get some sleep Mijo, we can talk more in the morning".

Rather dejectedly, Ricky dragged himself into bed. With a groan, he remembered that his brother had gone back to Chicago, which meant he couldn't ask him to help find who attacked Miss Horsley.

Quite agitated, Ricky tried to sleep, but after an hour of tossing and turning, realised that it wasn't going to happen. Ricky threw on a shirt, and after a moment of deliberation, climbed out of his window and headed in the direction of the detective's bedroom window.


	17. Oh my god they were roommates

When Ricky had originally climbed through Tinsley's window with the intent to fall asleep in his bed- being crammed into a single person bed that creaked when he moved, with a 6"4 snoring detective and a cat, was _not_ what he had had in mind (Ricky noticed that he was also still fully clothed, what a shame).

"When did you get here?" Tinsley asked sleepily.   
"I've been here all night dork, you literally said 'hi' to me when I opened the window" Ricky replied, rolling his eyes and facing the detective.   
"I was talking to the cat, gosh not everything has to be about _you_ , Ricky" Tinsley said with a smile.   
"Oh honey we need to get you out of the house more, you're going to fry your brain if you keep staying cooped up in here with that cat all day long"

Tinsley pushed the covers off them and stood up, "Hey! Don't call him 'that cat' he has a name! And its Obi~" Tinsley said smiling down at the small orange cat lovingly.

"You literally called him 'the cat' just two paragraphs ago, you hypocrite" Ricky commented with a sly smile.   
"What?"  
"What?" Ricky replied innocently.

Tinsley shook his head, scooped up the ginger fluff ball and headed for the stairs. Ricky listened as each step creaked beneath the taller man. This house sounded like it was about to give way at any second- how any self respecting gentleman was suppose to live here, he had no idea.

Ricky got up soon after and trailed behind the detective, who had popped the kettle on. He wrapped his arms around the taller mans waist, burying his head into his back.

"Ricky, as much as I would love to just stand here with you all day, you're going to make me late for work" Tinsley said with a sigh.  
"Do you havvvve to go to work today? I mean, you don't have any main cases open other than, well, _me~_ ", Ricky flirted.

"Remember, I've still got to figure out who stabbed Holly, oh didn't you say you were gonna ask a couple of people?" Tinsley asked, interested.   
Ricky paused, "No can do I'm afraid. My sources can't help at the moment, they're saying I need to stop bothering them and let them work" (Miguel wasn't being all that unreasonable, he was just busy).

Shrugging Ricky off of him Tinsley suggested, "You could always catsit for Obi?".   
"Do I look like a 15 year old girl from a horror movie? Ricky replied, a little hurt from being just _shrugged off ._  
"Hmm no... but you do _act_ like a 15 year old girl"  
"What?!"

Tinsley turned around to face Ricky, "Yeah you do! You're an absolute Diva-"  
"I'm _fabulous_ -"  
"You're _all_ about the boys-"  
"Don't you know it hun~"  
"The only difference is that _you_ spend more time on your hair than any 15 year old girl would do in her _life-_ "

Ricky cut Tinsley off with a laugh and a half hearted punch to the arm.

"So is that a yes?" Tinsley asked with a smile.  
"No I am _not_ catsitting!"

"Ah what a shame, because I was thinking of taking you out for dinner tonight- but alas I can't take you if I can't find you..." Tinsley revealed, trailing off at the end.

"Fine!", Ricky exclaimed, "I'll stay with the cat!"  
"With?"  
"With Obi" Ricky sighed.   
"Good! Well I'm looking forward to dinner then!"

(A/N: when I typed in 'dinner' it changed to 'Donner' and I just- _if you know you know_ )

Tinsley left shortly after, leaving the house and Obi to _Ricky._ For the first quarter of an hour or so, he and Obi just sat there staring, not knowing quite what to expect from each other.

Then Ricky thought it wouldn't be a horrible idea to have a proper good look around the detective's house. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, something cool like a secret library or a wine cellar- god a wine cellar sounded like a _great_ idea.

In fact, Ricky went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of red into a- into a mug?! Did Tinsley really not have _any_ wine glasses?! A little confused, but not surprised, Ricky decided that his second gift to the detective (the first was him being a gift to the world) was going to be some wine glasses, some more cutlery, oh and also a lampshade, a rug- and he could do with a whole new bed, too.

"I think you'll be alright here alone for an hour or so, right?" Ricky asked Obi quietly. The cat simply tilted his head and meowed. "I'm going to take that as a yes!" Ricky exclaimed with a smile, pulling on his shoes and jacket before closing the front door behind him.


	18. Do you seriously take me for /petty/ crimes?

Ricky had been out shopping for 5 or 6 hours before he remembered that he wasn't supposed to have left Charlie's flat, and that he was _supposed_ to be keeping an eye on Obi, the cat.

He hurried back to the apartment as fast as he could, but on his return, noticed the light were on. Damn! Stepping out of his car and speeding down the drive, Ricky tried to think of an excuse, but was coming up with nothing.

Before he opened the door, he took a moment to smooth out his hair and put his signature sunglasses on.   
"Honey! I'm home!" Ricky called out.

"Funnily enough, I said the same thing half an hour ago." the detective said from his seat by the fireplace. He was visably unimpressed, an empty whiskey glass in one hand, and Obi in the crook of his other arm. "Except I came back to an _empty_ flat and a _neglected_ Obi! _Neglected"_ the detective repeated, thrusting the cat into Ricky's face. "Look at him! The poor thing! You left him alone for hours!"  
At that, the little orange cat gave a pitiful meow, seemingly to get Charlie's sympathy.

"Look I'm sorry but I-" Ricky started.  
"Not to me, to Obi, say you're sorry to Obi" Tinsley insisted, still holding up the cat.   
"I'm not apologising to-", Ricky sighed, realising that he was going to have to humor the detective,"Look I'm really sorry, _Obi,_ I was busy".

Satisfied, Tinsley put Obi down onto the ground, "Where were you then?"  
"You can't know just yet." Ricky admitted. The detective raised an eyebrow.   
"It's a surprise!" Ricky insisted.

" _Sure_ it is, and how do I know you weren't out there doing illegal activities, like... uh.. petty theft?" Tinsley said, trying to think of crimes.  
"Theft?" Ricky mused, unimpressed.   
"Yes... theft!" Tinsley said trying to act confident, "Or vandalism!"

"Do you seriously take me for _petty_ crimes, _Detective_?" Ricky asked maliciously, walking over to CC and leering over him. Tinsley, who was tired of playing by Ricky's rules (and letting him win), grabbed Ricky by the tie and pulled him into an unexpected kiss. "Yup, petty criminal Goldsworth" Tinsley concluded.

Ricky rolled his eyes, "I'm going to ignore that last comment, are we still on for dinner?"   
"Well, considering that you apologised to Obi..." ,Tinsley pondered, "...I guess I'll let it slide."

"Great, where are we going?" Ricky asked, sitting down onto the arm of the sofa.   
"There's this Italian place in town, it's a nice little place, I've been there before" Tinsley explained.   
"Da Vinci's?"  
"Yeah?"   
"Sounds... good...to me. When are we leaving?"  
"Five minutes?"

"Five minutes!?", Ricky exclaimed, " _Five_ _minute_ _s!?"_  
"Yes?"   
"Dios mío, I'm not gonna be ready in five minutes!"

Looking Ricky up and down, who was as well dressed as always, Tinsley replied, "But you already look good?".  
"Oh, tu dulce costa-", Ricky sighed and shook his head, "I suppose this will have to do"

"Well I guess I'll see you outside in... 5 minutes then?" Tinsley asked, rising from his seat.  
"I guess so" Ricky replied, also standing.

With a nod, Tinsley picked up Obi who had been lazily stretched infront of the fire "let's get you upstairs then hmm?" he cooed to the orange floof gremlin, who purred in response.

After Tinsley left, Ricky sat down on the sofa, sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. How was he supposed to tell Charlie that the quaint little restaurant he liked was ran by an organised crime ring? He just had to hope that they wouldn't recognize Charlie as a detective. They were certainly going to recognize Ricky though, he couldn't get out of that.

After a couple minutes of quiet deliberation, Ricky's thoughts were interrupted by Tinsley's reappearance.   
"You ready?" the detective asked.  
"Yeah", Ricky replied forcing a smile, "Guess we'll have to be."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Nothing, sweetheart."


	19. Heart to heart (ooh pasta!)

Tinsley loved the pasta at Da Vinci's. Okay, that wasn't the _only_ reason he chose that venue in particular. It was a little quieter, more intimate than some of the bigger restaurants in town.

It wasn't that he was trying to _hide_ the nature of his relationship with Ricky, he just didn't want the attention. Didn't want to become the 'star crossed lovers', the 'Romeo and Juliet'- they were both respectable(ish) men, and Tinsley wanted to keep it that way. He also wanted to keep his job- being in cahoots with a notorious crime family could get him fired, or even _arrested._

Tinsley realised that it was probably already too late for that. Too many coffee shop "meetings", too much prolonged eye contact, and when everyone noticed them both missing from Ricky's party- the final nail was in the coffin. If he was going to get serious with Ricky (not that Ricky was _ever_ serious), he would have to make things public. _Yikes_.

But would that have to mean going morally corrupt- letting the Goldsworths, and people like them, get acquitted? He wasn't sure he could do that. The whole reason he joined the force was so that he could help people. If he joined Ricky, would that make him part of the problem?

Speaking of the force, Tinsley realised it would also mean having to abandon Banjo- he loved the quirky interactions, cowboy hat, and Banjo was just too good of a friend to go through with that. Oh god, _Holly,_ how could he forget?! He still had to figure out who tried to kill Holly! What if it was a cover-up? The lack of any witnesses or even a _suspect_ would make sense. If he joined Ricky, would he become part of the cover-up of Holly's attacker?!

Tinsley quickly shoved his thoughts aside as the car pulled to a stop.   
"Well, we're here!" Ricky commented with a smile.   
"Definitely looks like it!", Tinsley tried to imitate Ricky's upbeat tone, although his previous thoughts had definitely put a damper on his mood.   
"Okay, what's wrong? You were quiet for the whole ride over here so don't even try to deny that something's the matter." Ricky questioned expectantly.

Tinsley sighed, trying to figure out a way to say how he was feeling without upsetting Ricky, "I- I just... if you and I _are_ dating, does that make me part of the problem?"  
"What?", Ricky asked quietly.   
"My whole life has been dedicated to taking down bad people, if I join you, will that make me a bad person too?"

"Oh, Charlie", Ricky sighed, his expression softening, "You're a good person, and I don't think anything could ever change that. I would be more worried if you just blindly became another "yes man"- a lot of people _do,_ they just take the bribe and move along. I'm _glad_ you're not one of them, because I don't like them, I like _you_. I could never force you to accept my family and I, and our wrongdoings. I don't ever want to involve you in any of it."

Ricky finished, pulling Tinsley into a hug and whispering quietly, "I love you, Tinman".  
"I love you too, Goldie", he smiled softly.


	20. Dining with the mob

Ricky was _very_ , no, _incredibly,_ irritated. He just wanted to have a nice dinner with his detective- was that too hard to ask!? Apart from being seated by the waiter, they were approached from the second they entered the restaurant. Ricky recognised the man too, which was certainly worse, as Ricky had only ever been in the uh... backroom of the establishment. Oh dear.

Tinsley _was_ having a nice night. Good wine and good company- well, aside from _the mob_ , it _had_ been good company. And the office that they had been reseated in wasn't too bad either... okay maybe the handcuffs were a bit much. Ricky looked on edge- and rightfully so, if the mob didn't kill him, Tinsley would. He was _a little_ miffed that Ricky hadn't told him that the sweet little Italian place was actually a mob-fronted business, and from the look on Ricky's face, he understood what was going on.

"Detective Tinsley, pleased to finally meet you. I've certainly heard... things... about you. I didn't know that we had a mutual fiend in Mr Goldsworth-" the moustache clad, mob man, started.   
"Fiend?" Tinsley cut in, confused.  
"Fiend." They confirmed in unison, glaring at each other.   
"Don't interrupt, Detective, it's rude. Anyways, Mr Goldsworth has been pretty _illusive_ about a favour he's supposed to have repayed us on behalf of his brother", the man said, placing his hands on Tinsley's shoulders, still holding eye contact with Ricky, "We just wanted to make sure we're on... the same page, especially considering you guys walked in the front door."

"Drop dead, Mcbitch" Ricky hissed through his teeth.

The man gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Tinsley, almost painfully so. "Now Mr Goldsworth, there's no reason to be unreasonable now. You're a respectable man, and I can't see why we can't settle this like gentlemen" the man said.

"Dios mío- I don't give a flying duck about what Night Night is doing, if you have business with him- settle it with him!"  
"And he said you'd sort it for him as a favour, so we're asking you"  
"Cristo Miguel, throw me under the bus while you're at it", Ricky mumbled angrily under his breath, "Fine, but if we're going to talk about _business_ , I'd rather not have _a detective_ here"

"Actually, I'd much prefer to keep him here- much more civil, isn't it? Plus it's hardly gonna be a privacy issue- especially since how... _close_ you two have gotten recently, lots of little trips out and whatnot, hm?"   
"Okay I don't know what you're playing at but you'd better get your hands off of-"  
"Mr Goldsworth you are in no position to be making demands here- you may rule this town, but you're in my office now." the man stated. He drew a knife and lightly sliced a thin line across the Detective's cheekbone.

"Ricky.." Tinsley appealed quietly, feeling the blood run down his face. His hands shook slightly, worried that he may be about to end up as his very own cold case. Seeing Tinsley's distress, Ricky decided that he would have to play along until he could figure out a suitable plan. "Fine, what do you need?"

"I'm so glad you've changed your mind, the detective can thank you for that later"  
"What do you need?" Ricky repeated angrily, grinding his teeth together. If that man put as much as _one_ more mark on Charlie, there would be a fresh body 6 feet under.

"Nothing much, just a couple of files being relocated to... safer hands, that's all. I suppose your little detective _friend_ could help with that one, hm?" the man said, clapping Ricky on the shoulder.  
"I'm gonna have a word with my brother, and the _second_ he hears-" Ricky snapped angrily.

The man laughed, cutting him off, "Playing the status card now, are we? What's he and his long legged sidekick gonna do about it?! Besides, it'll already be too late for your little detective, if you as much as breath a word to anyone-" the man threatened.   
"Consider it done." Ricky agreed  
"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr Goldsworth."


	21. *crashing noises*

The phone rang a few times before being picked up.  
"Miguel Goldsworth, you are an absolute _asshole_ " Ricky snapped down the line.

"Good morning to you too... is this about that Detective's friend? Because I swear I had no idea-"  
"Its not", Ricky snapped, "Wait, how do you know what happened? I didn't tell you about Horsely..." Ricky asked suspiciously.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, "I make it my business to know what happens in and around town, Ricky. Also mom told me when I called her on Saturday"  
"You call mom?"   
"Ricky, of course I call mom- are you kidding? I'm a businessman, I'm not _heartless._ "

"Actually I think you _are_ heartless- roping me into your mob bullshit"  
"Oh- ohhhh Dios mìo! I completely forgot about that!" Miguel said with a laugh "So I'm guessing you've met Little Andy?"  
"This isn't funny Miguel!"  
"Hey, _you_ said you were gonna repay all of the favours you owe me-"  
"Yeah I meant occasionally doing the washing up, dumbass" Ricky interrupted with a hiss.

"Look, it's not a big thing!"   
"It is to me! I don't want to get in trouble!" Ricky explained.  
"Well, I guess you'd better be careful then, brother" Miguel concluded, hanging up the phone.

"Any luck?" Tinsley asked, stepping into the room after Ricky had finished venting into the void. It was all in Spanish, so Tinsley didn't catch any of it- however context alone told him it was bad news.

"No- he's a stubborn little shit, but.. he's right though... I just didn't think that-"  
"Your actions would have consequences?" Tinsley interrupted.  
"Okay okay, I know what you're getting at- rich pretty boys can't get by in life just by throwing money at problems..."   
Tinsley nodded.  
"And that I can't have everything just handed to me..."  
Tinsley nodded again.  
"But I still think that what Miguel did was unfair and petty" Ricky concluded, settling into Tinsley's chair.

They had been in the office for half an hour- sneaking in through the window to avoid being seen.  
 _"Ow, that's my foot-"_  
 _"Grab the window ledge! Hurry up!"_  
 _"I can't-"_  
 _*crashing noises*_

Suffice to say, their first attempt had been unsuccessful (Ricky claimed that it was a lot easier when he did it by himself- that reminded Tinsley that he should speak to McClintock about upgrading security around the office) but they managed to get in the second attempt. The window was inconvenient, yes, but Tinsley could risk losing his job if he was seen handing the files over to Ricky, and worse over to the _mob._

"Look I don't think that I can just take the files off of you" Ricky admitted  
"It's not that big of a deal, I'll put them on my desk and turn my back, that way I won't have seen you take them" Tinsley said, turning to face the wall.

"Alright then, this conversation never happened" Ricky announced, tucking the files into his bag.  
"Yup" Tinsley confirmed.  
"I was never here"  
"Neither was I"  
"The files were stolen"  
"Its definitely gonna be a mystery"  
"Well this place is full of detectives"

"And nobody will ever notice them missing", the detective smiled, revealing an identical set of folders to the ones Ricky had taken, "The Photocopier- god I love new technology"   
..."I love you dork"


	22. A drink

Ricky's heart thudded in his chest nervously as he knocked on the back door of the Italian restaurant. The door was flung open and a short shadowed figure held out a hand, which Ricky placed the files into.

"These will do nicely, Mr Goldsworth" the figure commented thumbing through the manila folders.  
"A pleasure doing business with you", Ricky mumbled snarkily as he turned and left.

Tinsley was waiting for him in his car, which soothed his nerves a little. Thankfully, he'd had his sunglasses on, so even if he _was_ showing his hand, nobody else could see it. Ricky opened the black door and stepped in.

"How'd it go?" Tinsley asked quickly.  
"Surprisingly well... in fact, a little too well- we either pulled off a hat trick, or they're playing the long game", he sighed, "Either way, it's two in the morning, and I want to go home."

The drive to the Goldsworth estate was quiet, but not awkward. Ricky smiled at the taller man as they pulled up to the drive, "Well, it's getting kinda late.."  
"It's getting kinda early" the detective corrected. Ricky hit his arm playfully, "I suppose this is when I offer you a drink?"

"Why Mr Goldsworth- if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me!" Tinsley imitated, batting his eyelashes  
"And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you'll follow me anyway~" Ricky flirted, softening his dark eyes to something more innocent and doe-like.

"I never took you for a blushing bride, Love" Tinsley mused, putting his hand ontop of Ricky's. "I never took you for a gullible man" Ricky replied, grabbing Tinsley by the collar and pulling him into a passionate kiss. The detective leaned further in and wrapped his arms around Ricky's waist.

Ricky pulled back momentarily for a breath (not that he particularly minded, choking _was_ rather a preference of his) the 'innocent' act replaced with a lustful smirk, "You still want that drink, hun?"  
"Oh yes", Tinsley mumbled breathily in response, leaning in to kiss Ricky again.

Instead, Ricky opened his car door and got out, knowing it would rile up Tinsley.   
"Oh, so _that's_ how you're gonna jazz it" the taller man hummed, climbing out of the car.   
"You'll have to catch me first Detective!", Ricky agreed with a smirk, "I would say I'm an easy case", he continued, walking up to the front door and slotting the key in, "But you haven't pinned anything down yet".  
Tinsley leaned down and whispered into the smaller man's ear, "That's not what I remember, if I'm correct, last time you _begged_ me to-".

Ricky cut him off sharply with a hiss, "You idiot- my mom's in there, save it till we get to my room!". Tinsley chuckled, noticing the blush rise in Ricky's face.

The pair crept along the halls of the residence, Ricky pointing out the creaky planks to Tinsley, who largely avoided them. Ricky pushed open the small door that lead to the kitchen.

"Your coat, sir" Ricky imitated, pulling Tinsley's jacket from him, stealing his hat and hanging them on the hook on the back of the door. "Why thank you, Jeeves, I'll have a glass of scotch if it's not too much trouble" Tinsley drawled in his best posh accent.  
"Nice, the glasses are on the side, pour me one too- off you pop!" Ricky laughed, breaking the act.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, here is a Tinsworth playlist I've made, check it out if you want to!
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4OHmyevTsPt3yRF0Fc57b0?si=OJ-VEP97SQKZeabOtRyA5Q&utm_source=copy-link 
> 
> Have fun!


	23. Nothing can change that

Tinsley nursed his drink tenderly while Ricky had kept a steady pouring hand.

"How many glasses have you had?" Tinsley queried with a smile.  
Ricky giggled, "Not nearly enough baby, are you still only on your fourth?"  
"Ricky okay, seriously how many have you had?" Tinsley laughed. Ricky shyly held up _more than a couple_ of fingers.

"Okay, you sir, are done for tonight!" Tinsley announced, taking the bottle away from Ricky.  
"No- gimme! Give it back!", Ricky pouted, clinging onto Tinsley's arm, "Tinman please just ooone more- we can shaaaare?" he slurred with a dopey smile.   
"And leave you one foot in the grave?Absolutely not- besides, I thought you said you didn't like sharing with other people?"

"Nah thats with _criminals_ Tin tin, though you ain't really one of the fuzz are ya?" Ricky slurred curiously.   
"Yeah I guess- I'm not exactly a good detective, am I?" He sighed sadly.

"Dontchu talk bad about yourself Tinsley or Lo juro por Dios", Ricky leaned forward, poking Tinsley in the chest to emphasise his point "You _are_ a _good_ detective, the rest can sod off", Ricky waved dismissively, "They're no fun- bluenoses, the lot of them".

"But I- I couldn't even solve the Sodder case, it was supposed to be my big break! And now, now I'm getting _chummy_ with criminals in the middle of nowhere, USA! What am I supposed to tell my family?! 'Sorry, you've wasted your time on a bloody _disappointment_ , a _nobody_ who can't even- who can't even'-" Tinsley choked up, desperately trying not to cry into the drink he was clutching.

Ricky gently pried the drink out of the taller mans hands and set it on the work surface, "Charlie, it doesn't matter how many cases are unsolved, how many suspects, how many crooks walk free- you are _my_ detective, and you are _damn_ good at it too. Within the span of a few weeks, you were able to infiltrate a tightly knit crime family- nobody's ever got so close to us, to _me,_ before _._ You've accomplished more in a few weeks than some do in _years,_ so I won't hear any more of this", Ricky dragged the taller man into a comforting hug, "I _love_ you Detective, nothing can change that".

Tinsley sniffled slightly and ran his fingers through Ricky's natural curly hair, "Thanks... I really needed that" he smiled.   
"And _I_ need another drink!" Ricky announced getting up.  
"No- no more alcohol for either of us" Tinsley replied, pulling Ricky to his feet and letting him lean against him.

"Fine, I guess I'll concede a point to you detective, wait _where_ are we going?" Ricky asked, suspiciously.   
"We're going to your room?"  
" _Oh, I see_ " Ricky smirked.  
"No, not like that-"   
"Aw, that's a shame"

The two men hurled into Ricky's room and barely made it to the bed, before slumping into a cozy pile of expensive booze, Ricky's cologne, and sleep.


	24. But I got wise...

Tinsley was really quite nervous. Holly was going to be coming out of the coma. She would be able to reveal who stabbed her, or at least he hoped so- it might end the awful guilt he felt. Tinsley really, _really_ hoped that Ricky hadn't played him, and that he was telling the truth. But until he got into Holly's room, it would all be speculation.   
  
Tinsley entered the hospital briskly- noticing there wasn't a receptionist behind the desk, he tried to find the room himself. He became horribly lost very quickly, the signs above the doors only serving to confuse him more.  
"Detective Tinsley?" A voice called from behind him. Tinsley whipped around to the source of the voice, "Yes?"  
"Are you here for Miss Horsely?" Dr Fear asked, pushing through a pair of double doors.   
"Oh, uh yes"  
"Right this way then."   
  
They walked in silence through the hospital, Tinsley _hated_ hospitals. Too sterile, too cold and unyielding. Unfortunately, due to the nature of his job he had seen his fair share of hospitals. News flash: they all look _exactly_ the same. They turned a corridor that looked more familiar to Tinsley, and suddenly they were at a very familiar door.   
  
"Look, detective, she's only been conscious for a half hour, so she may still be a little confused or drowsy- don't expect all singing all dancing"  
"Are you this cavalier with everybody?"  
"No, just with detectives" the Dr announced as he swung the door open.   
  
Holly was looking a lot better, she had more colour in her skin and was propped up in bed.  
"CC? This _is_ a surprise! I thought you'd be busy- you're not skiving off work to see me are you?!" Holly laughed, trying to sit up.   
  
"No it's alright Holly, please lie back down. Banjo gave me clearance to leave- he would've come too, but he had a meeting that he couldn't get out of. Everyone's missed you, Holly. The office just isn't the same without you." Tinsley admitted, removing his hat and taking a seat next to Holly's bedside.   
  
Holly smiled and nodded, it was nice to be appreciated for once. After all, it wasn't exactly the best paid job- lots of making coffee and organizing papers, but it sure did help her writing career thrive. She would take inspiration from cases, or clues to include in her stories. But the office was nice, lots of really interesting people.   
"If you get any more sentimental I may seriously have to hug you" Holly joked with a smile.  
"I'll consider myself warned!" Tinsley responded.   
  
"Holly, I really hate to bring this up so soon, but it's quite important" he sighed.  
"We need to address the elephant in the room..." she continued, getting quieter.  
"Unfortunately, yes... how much do you remember?"   
"It's a bit fuzzy, but I remember all of it."  
"So you know who injured you?"  
"Yes... but I don't think I'm allowed to say who"   
  
Tinsley leaned forward to gently touch her wrist, "It's okay, you can tell me anything" he reassured her.  
"Well okay..."   
  
Half an hour later Tinsley left the hospital, incredibly conflicted- that wasn't what he had been expecting. Things became more and more tangled and complicated the more he thought about them. The detective knew he was going to have to make a very hard decision. Let Holly's _attacker_ walk free, or risk lives and relationships.   
  
And he was just starting to fit in, as well. Colleagues, work, friends, a nice apartment, a lover- he wasn't ready to leave all of that behind. Having to 'exit perused by the mob' would mean starting from scratch. He had arrived in town with the task of toppling an Empire, and it was finally happening- but he wasn't sure he could see it through anymore.   
  
Tinsley didn't go back to the office that afternoon, he went straight to the pub. He ordered a pint of beer and slumped down into a seat in the corner of the almost empty room.   
  
"Day drinking now, are we?" A familiar voice called. The man took off his hat and sat down opposite the detective, "Rough day?"  
Stephanos Lim was a good citizen, a lawyer, and a regular at this pub.  
"That's one way to put it, how about you?" Tinsley asked politely.  
"My client was acquitted, so I'm celebrating!"  
"Touchè."   
  
There was an awkward silence for a while, both of them struggling to think of something to say.   
  
"Something's bothering you- one thing I've developed from being a lawyer is the ability to sense fear, so don't bother trying to lie, what's wrong?" Stephanos lunged, going straight for the metaphorical jugular.   
"I don't know what to do, I've put myself in a bad position. I can't really going into details..." Tinsley started apprehensively.  
Stephanos nodded in agreement, he understood how important client confidentiality was.   
"... but whatever I choose to do, I'm screwed to high hell"   
  
Stephanos pondered for a moment before responding, "Taking time off to look after yourself means that when you go back to work, you can look at your problem with a fresh perspective!"   
  
"Thanks, I wish I could do that, but I'm running out of time, decisions have to be made." 

Stephanos sighed, "Cut yourself some slack detective! You're trying your hardest- but that doesn't have to mean burning the candle at both ends. You could always ask for help if you're struggling?" He suggested.   
  
"I think you're onto something here Big Apple Steve-" Tinsley realised.  
"Just glad I could assist!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Stephanos says 'self-care, bitch'


	25. ...you're the devil in disguise.

It was night time when a soft knock on his window alerted the detective of Ricky's presence outside. Tinsley opened the window and moved back so the smaller man could clamber in.   
  
"I still don't see why you insist on climbing in through my window" Tinsley queried.  
"We're not really supposed to be seen together Tins"  
"Oh, and climbing in through my bedroom window is supposed to be less suspicious?"  
"Smartass" Ricky mumbled under his breath, kicking off his shoes and relaxing onto Tinsley's bed.   
  
"Aww you think I'm smart! I'm flattered!" Tinsley quipped.  
"You're an absolute bitch" Ricky sighed, "It's lucky I tolerate you".  
" _Tolerate_?" Tinsley gasped mockingly.   
"Barely", Ricky grinned, "So, what's crackalackin' detective? Any particular reason you asked me to come over tonight, other than the fact that you missed me?" Ricky asked, batting his eyelashes seductively.   
  
"Yeah, there's a reason, you're not gonna like it though" Tinsley replied, rubbing his hands together and sitting down on the bed next to Ricky.  
"Oh it can't be that bad you drama queen" Ricky mused, rolling his eyes.  
"I'm not sure you understand what-"  
"Spit it out Tinman, we don't got all night!" Ricky interrupted playfully.   
  
"Well, I know who stabbed Miss Horsely" Tinsley stated.  
"Okay, not to sound rude, but why do I care?" Ricky asked, leaning forward into a patch of moonlight.   
  
"It was your brother, Miguel." Tinsley muttered apprehensively. Ricky was silent. Tinsley watched nervously as Ricky sat still, making no movements or reactions, his face illuminated by the light from the moon. The detective noticed that the smaller man looked like a statue: perfectly carved features, his emotions vague and unreadable.   
  
"Ricky?" Tinsley asked anxiously. Ricky finally turned to Tinsley, his eyes cold and unyielding. The detective suddenly felt very small and had to break eye contact for fear of having his soul ripped out.   
  
"I.. uh- had my suspicions, but I didn't want to say anything until I knew for-" Tinsley suddenly found himself pinned down, the smaller man's hands constricting around the Detective's neck.  
"I could snap your neck right now", Ricky whispered in a low, husky voice, "Nobody would know it was me, and nobody would dare speak put against me"   
Tinsley wheezed, grabbing the smaller man's wrist, "Ricky I can't-"   
  
Ricky's grip only tightened. "Nobody disrespects my family and gets away with it. I should've known better than to trust a _detective,_ I should have killed you when you first arrived."   
"But I-"   
  
"Shut up. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to turn me against my own family, divide and conquer. Well it isn't going to work now, is it?", Ricky hissed, "You Detectives are all the same, aren't you? You think you're _so_ _smart-_ you think you can get the better of us?! _Nobody_ gets the better of _me."_ Ricky snapped   
  
"Ricky I'm-"  
"That's Ricardo Goldsworth to you, detective"  
"I can't-" Tinsley inhaled sharply.  
"What? Sorry I couldn't hear that, can you speak up?" Ricky mocked cruelly.  
" _I can't breathe_."   
"...good."   
  
A couple of minutes later, Ricky climbed out of the window and dropped down onto the pavement below (it was only a small drop, so he was uninjured). He was, however, thoroughly pissed off.   
  
Ricky had loved the detective. The kind of crazy, head over heels love that he'd never felt before. It had been bliss while it lasted. But he felt betrayed, and incredibly conflicted. What felt even worse was the guilt knawing away at him. He actually hurt him, he actually _hurt_ Charlie. For a moment Ricky considered going back inside, to check (again) if Charlie was alright. He decided against it, instead walking across town to Francesca's apartment.   
  
Francesca opened the door to a very unsettled Ricky, his hair a mess, and his eyes glossy with tears. Francesca quickly pushed him into her apartment and closed the door.   
  
"What happened this time?" She asked with a sigh. Ricky broke down into tears, wafting his hands around, trying to enunciate a language.   
"Okay, okay, breathe, what's going on?" Francesca comforted. She guided Ricky to the sofa, before sitting down next to him.   
  
"Charlie he- he didn't love me, it was an act. _He didn't love me_ " Ricky managed between sobs, before breaking down again.   
"That bastard- what did he do to you?"   
"He- he was trying to drive a wedge between me and Miguel, claimed Miguel stabbed Horsely, hoping we'd kill each other and bring down the Goldsworths with us"  
"He _said_ that?!"  
"Well, it was subtext" Ricky sniffled, leaning against Francesca, "I- I think I've made a mistake, Fran. Dios- I've done something terrible" Ricky admitted quietly.   
  
"You didn't.. he isn't...?" Fran questioned  
"He's not dead, but I hurt him badly. I don't- I can't imagine him forgiving me-" Ricky sobbed.  
"I think we need to get you home, then we can call Miguel tomorrow and get to the bottom of this, okay?" Fran advised softly.  
Ricky sniffed, wiping tears away, "Okay".


	26. Spin the wheel of misfortunes and misery!

"Hello, you've reached Mikey's Bar- we're unable to take your call right now, try again later!"   
"Again later" a female voice echoed the code into the receiver.   
  
"Yup who's callin?" Legs drawled.  
"Norris" the voice replied.  
"Francesca Norris, as in the Isdall woma-?"  
"Yes", she interrupted sharply. "Lovely to speak to you again, Legs" she said sarcastically.   
  
Legs moved away from the speaker, gave an exasperated sigh before moving back to the phone. The two had been in a somewhat 'childish rivalry' for a couple of years, the last time they were in the same room a bar fight broke out and she, somehow, stole his shoes.   
  
"I haven't seen you in ages, or my shoes for that matter, good question- where are they at nowadays?" He asked with mock politeness.  
"I'd love a little chit-chat, but I need to speak to Night Night"   
"Any particular business"  
"None of yours"  
"...'aight give me a second, I'll put you through... scary bitch" he mumbled before calling out to his partner across the corridor.   
  
"Ayo Miguel! The Isdall woman is on the phone"  
"What does she want?" Miguel's voice replied.  
"I don't know, she wouldn't say"   
"Well did you ask?"  
"Of course I asked!"  
"Fine, put her through" Miguel shouted back.   
  
"Hello?"  
"Ricky is _sobbing_ his eyes out, what the hell is going on?"  
"Hello to you too Francesca, still got my fiance's shoes?"  
"Stop changing the subject, this is important"  
"Ricky is old enough to sort things out for himself, dios why does everyone always expect me to do shit?"   
"It's about Tinsley"  
"...you have my attention"   
  
"Ricky came round to my apartment. He was absolutely distraught, Miguel. He couldn't stop crying about how the detective never actually loved him- it turns out that the detective had Ricky wrapped around his little finger, it was all just a ploy to get you two to fight."  
"...oh"  
"That's not all though, apparently the detective claims you stabbed Miss Horsely, it set Ricky off. The detective isn't dead- but definitely injured. Ricky's very upset and Lucy is pissed off, what should we do?"   
  
Miguel realised that at some point he was going to have to talk to Ricky, and it was _not_ going to be a pretty conversation.   
"Leave it to me... I'll ask around then speak to Ricky" he concluded.  
"Thanks, appreciate the help" Francesca replied before hanging up the phone.   
  
Miguel sighed loudly, leaning back in his seat he pushed his hands through his hair.   
"Everything good?" Legs asked, poking his head round the office door.   
"No, and I know what I have to do and it's not going to be fun"   
  
"Well? You gonna leave me in the dark or should I spin the wheel of possible misfortunes and misery?" Legs asked walking into the room and sitting down on the desk infront of his fiance.  
"It's about your cousin"  
"CC Tinseltown?"  
"The bastard broke Ricky's heart".   
  
Legs gave a low whistle, "Well damn, I wasn't expecting that".  
"Neither was I" Miguel chuckled. "Ricky got real angry though- knocked the detective around a bit"  
"Is he alright?"  
"All I know is that he's still alive, and he's figured out that I stabbed his receptionist- smarter than he looks, must run in the family!"  
"Hey I'm right here!"  
"Point is, I've gotta break it to Ricky that the detective didn't lie to him"  
"How are you going to do that?"  
"I have _no_ idea" 


End file.
